June 4, 1968: When America truly started going down the wrong track

[electric_blue68]

24. I remember it all..... 😔

I woke up (June 5) with a very weird stomach ache around 4AM NYC time. I had my dad's little transistor radio bc I was following rhe Cal primary. Turned it on and....
Never went back to sleep.
Walked around like a zombie in HS.

That night (6/6) I woke up again w same weird ache, arond the sane time. Turned on the radio....
"He was 43."... Frank McKowitz announced.
Was?!!! Sleepless again.

I went to St Patrick's w a friend. We stood on line for around 5 hrs.
Then went the next day to see the procession going to Penn Station.

Watched the train. Resented that I had to study for the PSATs in our extra room; thus dividing my attention, while my sister watched w our mom in the living room.
I remember the people of Philadelphia coming out, and singing "The Battle Hymn of The Republic".

Between Dr King and Bobby- terrible blows to our country!
JFK, absolutely! But I was only 10; other than knowing that assassination was horrible; I didn't understand till later more of the specific loss. Then decades later hearing his speech at the American University made it even more painful.

For these gentlemen by then I was paying attention to events; and knew what the losses were for our country, and the world!