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Where were you when JFK died? - Ralph Waggener's story With his wife of one month's blessing, the writer and three friends, Arthur Corbin, Kenneth Royse, and Willie M. Feese, Jr., left at midnight for the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, in Blue VW Beetle. It was an unforgettable experience. 'When the six white horse drawn caisson bearing the casket and President Kennedy passed you could hear nothing but the click of the horse hooves on the pavement; and when the riderless horse with the boots placed backwards in the stirrups came by, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,' Ralph Roy Waggener remembers. There's also the trip in verse: Poetry by Wiilie M. Feese, Jr.: The funeral of JFK By Ralph Roy Waggener - based on memory - only some could be wrong I was sitting on the counter at Harry Lee Dohoney's service station when the news came over Billy Ray Dohoney's fancy portable radio that our President John F Kennedy had been shot. Like most all of America - and in fact all the world - this just did not seem possible; it shocked the whole world. Glinda, my wife of just one month, and I went to the Columbian Theater, then run by for Mayor Charles Marshall and his wife Yvonne, on Sunday night the day before the funeral was to be in DC, and after the movie we went to the old Circle R for a dessert. W M (Jr.) Feese was there and we got to talking about what had happened and that it was predicted that more heads of state would be gathered in one place than had ever had been in history. My memory being as it is (not so good) I'm not sure Donna was there or not, but one thing led to another with both Jr. and I saying it would be something to be there and pay our respects; with my new wife's blessing we decided to leave at midnight and drive all night and be at Arlington Cemetery by the time Kennedy was brought there. We went up to Lindsey Wilson College's girls dormitory to find ''Killer" Arthur Corbin who could usually be found where the girls were and told him we were going to DC to Kennedy's funeral and he said ok, I really don't think he really thought we were going. We then found Kenneth Royse somewhere - I just can't remember where. By the time we got everyone together and I coaxed brother Ed to carry my paper route and got our suits we thought we should wear; it was about 12:30am Monday morning when we pulled out on our journey. Learned a lesson in Jonesville, VA, about an 'A' by road number We drove all night and when we got to Jonesville, VA., Arthur and I (JR and Kenneth where asleep) I was driving and asked Arthur what "A" meant in front of the route numbers; he did not know and we did not see any other signs so we took it (it means alternate) went up Big Stone Gap about 15 to 20 miles of as crooked a road I've ever traveled and when we got back on Hwy 58 we had gained about 3 miles had we gone Hwy 58 now I know what "A" means; later when we made it to just north of Bristol, VA. We found the Interstate Hwy we needed to take, but it only had an exit but no on ramp, we decided we could back up the exit ramp and get on our way, being it was about 3:30 in the morning we got away with this unlawful stunt. Pressed for time the 4 changed suits in moving VW Beetle We also went the wrong way going to Norfolk and had to back track several miles. We were listening to the radio when we got to Culpeper, VA some 36 to 40 miles from DC and the funeral procession was leaving the Rotunda and we thought we would be too late. Now 4 men in a VW is a full load but we decided we had no time to stop and change clothes so we changed to our suits while driving. As luck would have it we found our way to the back side of Arlington where the statue of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. We parked somewhere close there and I think we walked down hill to the front entrance of Arlington and that's where we waited some two hours for the funeral procession to get there. People where lined on both sides of the street from 2 to 6 people deep. When the six white horse drawn caisson bearing the casket and President Kennedy passed you could hear nothing but the click of the horse hooves on the pavement and when the riderless horse with the boots setting backwards in the stirrups came by it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. More black limousines than was ever seen in one place This was followed by more black limousines than has ever been in one place at the same time. As we stood there people on one side of me would say who they thought was in each limo and usually the people on my other side would think it was someone different; you really could not tell because of the tinted windows. I'm glad I went and so happy to have the Polaroid photos that Jr Feese took; they are invaluable to me now. We were to drive back that evening but took time to go up in the Washington Monument, I think some of us ran up and some of us took the elevator. It was a long trip back; we were much younger 50 years ago and could do things like this better. - Ralph Roy Waggener This story was posted on 2013-11-22 14:33:24
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