To those ignorant of the importance of Nov. 22, 1963, with the excuse they were not alive during the presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, he was assassinated in Dallas that day.
Kennedy effectively negotiated with the Soviet Union’s Politburo and Nikita Khrushchev during the perilous days of the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The man spared this planet thermonuclear war. If not for Kennedy, nuclear winter and windswept radiation would have been the order of the day for centuries.
To those unaware of what JFK means to America, they are alive only because of his skills and abilities. This, as he effectively navigated a negotiated settlement with the Soviets to affect a nuclear armament stand-down, thereby defusing the 13-day missile crisis and saving mankind from nuclear annihilation.
In this context, to this younger generation of Americans, exercise the deserved respect due to the man’s memory and legacy, and recognize annually the date of Nov. 22 for what it means to this nation.
Earl Beal
Terre Haute, Indiana