Tragic Anniversary

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. He was shot down only moments after securing victory in the California Democratic Primary to become President of the United States. His assassin was Sirhan Sirhan, an employee of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California - my home state.

As a young man of almost 22, I had already fulfilled my service obligation in the Marine Corps, having been drafted into this branch of the military some two years beforehand. I, however, was one of the very few who never went overseas to that hellhole called Viet Nam. I was, as I have been for all of my life, simply lucky. However, I knew many Marines who did serve in that war. Some never returned. Many who did return were wounded, either physically, or emotionally. They were changed men. They were part of the reason I changed my views of the war in Viet Nam. Like many early on, I simply accepted what our government told us - namely, we had to fight this war to stop the spread of communism from reaching us here in the good old U.S.A. Then, after losing some friends and seeing what this war had done to others, I began to question what we were doing fighting over there.


So, aside from the fact that Bobby was JFK's younger brother (who was my hero), Senator Kennedy appealed to me because he was one of the few politicians who came out early against the Viet Nam war. As a result of his stance, I became a volunteer for his campaign. I didn't do much. Just went door to door handing out leaflets. Made phone calls on his behalf and put up campaign signs in conspicuous areas so they might be seen by people driving by. I also, with some other guys around my age, formed a Young Democrats club in my little area of town.

That enabled me to wrangle an invite to the Ambassador Hotel and the hoped for Celebration party for Senator Kennedy. I had my credentials and pass and everything was set to go for me. Then, early that morning, I got a call from my boss. "Mike, I know you were set to take off early, but _____ called in sick, he's got the flu. I need you to go to San Diego and cover the trade Show for him." Damn, I swore, under my breath, I was hoping to actually get to meet Bobby Kennedy later that night. But, when your boss calls....

So, I went and turned in my credentials so someone else could go to the Ambassador.

I picked up what I needed and drove to San Diego. Set up our booth and manned it until it was time to close for the night. Grabbed a bite to eat and headed up to my hotel room and turned on the T.V.

I watched the revelry and the returns until it was evident that my candidate, Bobby Kennedy had won. I was so excited. So happy and thinking to myself that he would surely go to the convention in Chicago and win the Democratic nomination - and, of course, destiny would be fulfilled, and he'd become President in the general election in November. Senator Kennedy gave his speech, and finished with "...and now, it's on to Chicago and let's win there!". Then he left the stage.

I had an early morning the next day, so I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before turning in, but left the TV on. Then I heard something that just didn't sound quite right coming from the TV, so I came out of the bathroom to see what the deal was. Of course, pandemonium was taking place as word spread about Bobby being shot.

I stayed up for hours watching and praying. And crying. How could this actually happen to another Kennedy brother? And so soon after Martin Luther King? What in the world? I finally fell asleep sometime in the early hours of the morning. The Television was still on and the news was still bad. Bobby was clinging to life, but it was tenuous at best. And I had to put on a smile and go man a booth trying to interest potential customers in my product.

Somehow, I made it through the day. Then the announcement came that Senator Kennedy had died. Fortunately, the show I was attending had ended.

Watching the train that traveled cross-country carrying Bobby's body was numbing and terribly sad. As the years went by, starting with the election of Republican Richard Nixon that year, who defeated Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey by a slim margin, I've wondered many times how things might have been different had RFK not been assassinated. Would he have been able to end the war in Viet Nam quickly? How many of our troops would have been spared their lives? Had he been elected, we would have been spared the disgrace that Nixon brought upon the office which, I believe, changed American's faith in government forever. Of course, we'll never know these things. They will be only suppositions by people like myself.

And today, only brief mentions of his assassination will occur. Yet I, who came so close to witnessing history up close and personal, will never forget Robert Francis Kennedy and the hope he gave us before being cut down by an assassin.

Old Fart Mike