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Saigon Kids™ Stories: The day that JFK was killed

by Jim Lou

I remember November 22, 1963. I was listening to Armed Forces Radio when all of a sudden there was no noise.

In a few minutes a voice came on and said that there was an important message to be announced. After several minutes there was the announcement that JFK had been assassinated.

From that point on there was nothing on the radio except news concerning the assassination.

I don’t remember if school was cancelled, but I would assume that it would have been so.

Are there any others who were in VN at the time who can comment?

6 comments to Saigon Kids™ Stories: The day that JFK was killed

  • Joan Mashburn

    Yes, I was there, living on a street near the Tan Son Nhat. We had only been in Saigon a few months, we had the Newbold family visiting, the house was full. I remember running fast up the stairs early morning, to tell my parents the whole country was crying. I did not know what assassinated meant. We lived on this 10 house street – at the end of the road for a few months.
    Joan Mashburn

  • Laurie Methven

    I was in Saigon when JFK died – in fact it was on my birthday kinda. My birthday is Nov.23 but since Saigon was ahead in time, it fell on my birthday. I don’t remember but I was told that I fainted and said something to the affect, which President is next? (This was 3 wks. after Ngo Dinh Diem had been killed). Never forgot that birthday and I remember it each year because of that. BTW, it was my 12th birthday.

  • Carolyn Cathey Castelli

    So interesting to hear this! I was still in the States when JFK was assassinated. We came to Vietnam fall of 1964. Our school in New York was dismissed early after we were brought to an assembly and told the news. We walked home from school in shock.

  • Kenneth R. Yeager

    I was attending prep school in Washington, DC that day. Classes were canceled for the day and since I was trying to get back to Saigon (prep school and West Point were no longer a goal) and went to the State Department for something in regard to a passport but when I got there, was told to go home. Nothing was happening in any government office that day. Stood in line for hours to view the coffin at the capital but gave up as it was freezing. One of those memories that one will never forget and now it seems we have too many of them…The Challenger explosion, 9/11…..And none of them pleasant.

  • jim lou

    Laurie Methven – December 7, 2013 at 7:47 am · Reply
    I was in Saigon when JFK died – in fact it was on my birthday kinda. My birthday is Nov.23 but since Saigon was ahead in time, it fell on my birthday. I don’t remember but I was told that I fainted and said something to the affect, which President is next? (This was 3 wks. after Ngo Dinh Diem had been killed). Never forgot that birthday and I remember it each year because of that. BTW, it was my 12th birthday.

    I should know you then. I was in the 8th grade.

  • Ken Berger

    It was Saturday morning in Saigon when most of us learned of the assassination. I was a senior and several of us spent the night at Paul Reicher’s house. Early Saturday morning, Paul’s dad went to work at MACV headquarters. He called the house to let us know the news. I sped home to let the rest of the family know. Truely a sad moment and only 3 weeks after the coup that resulted in the assassination of the Diem brothers.

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