Honoring JFK in Dallas

Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository building as seen on March 6, 2016. (Photo by Todd DeFeo/The DeFeo Groupe)

DALLAS (defeo.biz) — The date is etched into our collective conscious: Nov. 22, 1963. Not to sound overly dramatic, but it is one of the defining moments of the 20th century.

Yet, 54 years later, the debate still rages. Who killed President John F. Kennedy? Was it Lee Harvey Oswald? Was it a conspiracy?

The events of Nov. 22, 1963, are as intriguing today as they were a half-century ago. Like everything else in this country, we are divided on precisely what happened.

Excitement and intrigue about the Kennedy assassination only increased earlier this year after President Trump opted to release some long-withheld records related to the slaying. However, they did little to settle conspiracy beliefs.

The debate, it seems, will never end. Conspiracy theorists are only emboldened, while lone gunman believers say the data dump supports their viewpoint.

A trip to Dealey Plaza in Dallas is like stepping through the looking glass. It looks like the many historic photos taken the day Kennedy died, yet it feels so foreign.

Tourists pose for photos on the exact spot where the assassin’s bullet struck Kennedy. Conspiracy theorists push their literature.

The whole scene feels like a carnival, but somewhere we lost sight of the fact a president lost his life. This is an odd, if not entirely macabre, tourist attraction.

Surely, some here come to understand.

Explore previous coverage:

Kennedy assassination sites bring to life that fatal day in Dallas

Dallas museum gives context to JFK assassination

Home where Oswald stayed night before Kennedy assassination opens as Ruth Paine House Museum

Avatar photo
About Todd DeFeo 1651 Articles
Todd DeFeo loves to travel anywhere, anytime, taking pictures and notes. An award-winning reporter, Todd revels in the experience and the fact that every place has a story to tell. He is the owner of The DeFeo Groupe and also edits Express Telegraph and Railfanning.org.