Turn right here please.
While the history of the assassination can certainly be macabre, this monument honors this popular president and the legacy he left behind. Take a minute to walk up to it, though I don't think it wise to stand on the pedestal. Stop when you reach it please.
Oswald's attack on the president consisted of three gunshots aimed at the 1961 Lincoln Continental that held JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie. Connally was serious wounded from the gunshots but thankfully he recovered. Sadly, Kennedy was pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital about thirty minutes after the shooting occurred. You might have noticed on the street by the grassy knoll X's on the street. These mark the locations of where the bullets made impact. There is a debate as to whether identifying these markers is tasteful or not. They're removed frequently from the street, only to reappear days later in some cases.
The need for a monument that would help the nation heal was realized in 1970; hence the JFK memorial.
As you'll notice, in the middle of the monument there is no statue. It was designed to look like an empty tomb, or cenograph, with open skies above. Inside this memorial, there is nothing to read or really explore. Simply a void for you to mourn the loss of a hero. The reception of the memorial has not always been positive. It has been criticized, for being too cheaply made, originally designed to be cast in marble as opposed to concrete, and its location 200 yards away from the incident could be argued that it was an attempt to cover up the dark history.
If you haven't done so already, please walk into the memorial, but please be respectful.
Walk through the memorial to the other side, and we'll make a left on Commerce street.
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