Jfk.

[Colin Hawken]

I was working ashore by then. I was a Committee member at the Works Social Club. It was Bingo Night. That's how I remember it being a Friday.lol

[Ivan Cloherty]

that's one long trip ivan respects cappy

Luckily it was a happy ship, with a great Captain (Cpt Churchill whom I've mentioned before) we did some great ports, some crap ports, good lads in all departments, one bad apple on deck, but some Japanese fishermen sorted him out in Yokohama and he had to be flown home (never argue with Japanese fishermen carrying knifes you could end up with 200 stitches!). Never replaced him and the deck crowd shared the shorthand money for the next 16 months, plus being a hand down the overtime opportunities became greater. Good Chief Steward, mad as a hatter and good cooks. 1st mate became a friend, came to my wedding and I met him again 47 years later last year by chance of seeing his photo in a newsletter........... lots of stories on that voyage all regailed somewhere before on here

[Jim Brady]

I was on the cruises on the Empress Of Britain,docking day got home well bladdered went to bed.My wife called me to tell me JFK had been shot,came up later to tell me he was dead.I got up and went to my local for a pint or two.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Richard Quartermaine]

Friday, in my office - Queensland Insurance Co Ltd on the 2nd floor of our principal agents, Burns Philp (South Sea) Co Ltd, Suva, Fiji. My son Rick was born in the Colonial war Memorial Hospital just up the road a few day less than six months earlier. He was 50 last May and now lives in Greenville, South Carolina. Ah those halcyon days!!!
Richard

http://www.queenslandinsuranceoldies.org/fiji.html

No disrespect for JFK - A man who made his mark in the pages of history an paid a terrible price so that others could live safely. R

[Glenn Baker]

I was on the Durham sailing into Wellington when it was announced about JFK, we did 11 months on the old ship M.A.N.Z. run , Even the armed forces quibble about anything longer than six months nowadays.

The JFK assasination was in itself quite sad, it was felt that President Kennedy wanted to end the Vietnam War, as he himself was a War veteran being skipper on on P109, and so he hated War, rumours that his own secret service planned his demise.

The Vietnam war went on for a long time after his death, amid corruption drug Barons, and Jailing of conscripts who wouldnt go including the famous Boxer. Im pretty sure JFK will be remembered as one of the best Presidents ever, even though he had trouble keeping his trousers up.
Same party as Obama and Clinton , the Party that truly always thought of the Poorer section of American Society.
The Kennedys were an unlucky Family, , Jaquie Kennedy was an assett to the U.S,A as well, even though she had an unhappy life and later on went on to live on her own.
Vale Kennedy , we actually need more leaders such as him now instead of the spineless ilk we get now, in fact most are even stupid. The name Abbott springs to mind now. Glenn

[Captain Kong]

it was felt that President Kennedy wanted to end the Vietnam War, as he Glen.
.
.

Hi Glen. the Viet War didnt start until two years after JFKs death 1965. a few `Advisers ` were in there before but the ground troop went in in 1965. I was in Viet Nam evacuating the French Foreign Legion in 1954/5 so I always took an interest in what was going on there.
Cheers
Brian.
.
Wikipedia,....................
Regular U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations crossed international borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed by the U.S. American involvement in the war peaked in 1968, at the time of the Tet Offensive. After this, U.S. ground forces were gradually withdrawn as part of a policy known as Vietnamization, which aimed to end American involvement in the war. Despite the Paris Peace Accords, which was signed by all parties in January 1973, the fighting continued.

Direct U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973 as a result of the Case–Church Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress.[37] The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities (see Vietnam War casualties). Estimates of the number of Vietnamese service members and civilians killed vary from 800,000[38] to 3.1 million.[22][25] Some 200,000–300,000 Cambodians,[26][27][28] 20,000–200,000 Laotians,[39][40][41][42][43][44] and 58,220 U.S. service members also died in the conflict.[A 2]
.
.
Jaqi Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis later,

[John Pruden]

the American navy jets would fly over very close to who you were between hong kong and Singapore you could make out the huge bombers going over jets were so close you could make out the pilots we gave them the v sign always.jp

[Glenn Baker]

Captain Kong, in reply to your posting and not being in anyway correctional. The American had 9000 Military personal as far back as 1962, and as far back as 1955 Dwight Eisenhower pledged his support for Diem the leader of South Vietnam.
Vietnam was firmly on President Kennedys agenda before he was assasinated as the cold War was on and the Power agenda for the two major powers in the World the Domino effect was on and Kennedy knew this would become a Major conflict, Diem was killed three weeks before Kennedys assasination, Kennedy knew the Danger of a War he didnt want.
Even though it was not a huge populace of Armed conflict in 1962 it was a major point of South east Asian concern as it was well known the French had been defeated in a major Battle.

[Charlie Hannah]

At Home in Bootle on extended leave,Dad passed away that same year!

[Charlie Hannah]

I tried to edit the above post to add a little more but the whole post would disapear so could'nt edit.Dont know whats going on,any ideas?
I was going to add about a Kindle book i bought recently JFK: The Smokin Gun By Colin Mclare.He was in the Australian Police, detective,he puts all his detective skills to full use. Good read and reckon he is spot on in his reckoning.Worth a read!