I was Stationed at Camp Hansen on the island of Okinawa with the 3rd Marine Division. I can remember that everyone seemed to be walking around in shock. There was none of the usual light hearted banter and joking around. Everyone was very silent, lost, no doubt, in their own thoughts, fears and disbelief.
All the base facilities such as the Movie theater, Hobby shop, EM club and even the O club was shut down for two weeks. It surprise me no end that the people of Okinawa loved JFK so much they observed a full 30 day mourning period. You couldn't by a drink, a beer or.....anything else.
I was in tight with the old mamasan that owned the Club Blue Moon (but that's another story for another time and place.) and even though the bar was closed I could go around the back and knock on the door and they would let me in. We sat around a many a afternoon just me and mamasan and papasan and a few of the girls drinking sake and crying. Old papasan spoke not one word of English but he yammered on relentlessly. Boo-hooing and big tears streaming down his face.
It's where I discovered that I get very emotional when I drink sake.
"The shame is that 50 years later, there is still doubt about the circumstances of the assassination."
The awful shame and sadness is that the coverup commenced immediately. Within the first 24 hours evidence, forensic and medical and and clerical was destroyed. Not just hidden but destroyed. By now many of the people that know/knew the truth are dead.
I've heard that there are accurate accounts somewhere that will all be revealed some day but I don't believe it. It's a darn shame too. There were people involved that got away with it. What a huge loss of innocence for America.
