My First Visit to Dealey Plaza

I was on a business trip the first time I visited Dallas, Texas. Having studied the JFK assassination for years, I booked an afternoon flight the next day so I could spend time at Dealey Plaza and take in the sites I knew so well. It was early November, close to the actual assassination date, which only heightened my emotions.

My first day in Dallas, after the obligations of my visit, I got into my rental car and drove to my hotel on the city's outskirts. It was already dark. Guided by my GPS, I ignored street names until I approached the distinctive-looking Texas School Book Depository Building (TSBD) straight ahead.

Composite image credit: Caleb Ward of The Curious Refuge.

I quickly realized I was on Houston Street. The light was green, so I made the same left onto Elm Street as JFK's limousine, passing in front of the Grassy Knoll, where the assassination occurred. It all went by so fast, and I had to turn my head as I drove by, trying to soak in everything, momentarily oblivious to the other cars around me. Fortunately, I passed the area without incident, excited about what the next day would bring.

At the hotel, I sat outside thinking about where I was and what had just transpired.

Visiting JFK's assassination site was almost a religious experience for me. I considered how long I had waited to be there and how much time I had devoted to try and understand what had occurred that fateful day in November 1963.

It was then that I saw large lit-up lights in the distance. It was Parkland Hospital, where both John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were brought to try and save them, to no avail. I stared at the Parkland sign for quite some time, knowing what happened there, and it reminded me that despite my excitement, this was hallowed ground, and I should not lose sight of that the next day.

I arrived at Dealey Plaza relatively early the next morning. My initial reaction was how much closer everything appeared compared to how the Zapruder film or television made it look.

I walked along the area where Kennedy was shot and visualized where people were standing as the shots rang out. I walked behind the picket fence where many believe the fatal shot that hit Kennedy in the head originated. I was taken aback as to how close the limousine was to where I was standing. For anyone experienced in handling a rifle, the shot couldn't have been anything but a direct hit.

I walked around the parking lot behind the picket fence, where Lee Bowers had seen suspicious characters and automobiles that appeared to have no business being there. I approached the railroad tracks where the Dallas police found the so-called "three tramps" shortly after the assassination and again marveled at how close it was to the kill zone. I then walked in the direction of the TSBD. I studied the rear entrance where some believe Oswald was standing at the time of the assassination. It led indirectly to the lunchroom, where police officer Marion Baker would confront Oswald minutes after the assassination.

I was deep in thought as I returned to Dealey Plaza alongside Elm Street. It must have been evident that I knew something about the assassination, for a man approached me, pointed towards the Sniper's Nest, and asked if that was the window from where Oswald fired his rifle at Kennedy. I said he was correct…if one believes Oswald was the lone gunman… but many think otherwise, and that some shots came from other locations.

He immediately recognized the folly of his question, and with an embarrassed look on his face, replied, "Yes, of course," and walked away. There was no malice in how I answered him. I just found myself insulted by the question and found it necessary to set the record straight.

As I walked towards the Book Depository front entrance, I looked back and saw two young Asian women who appeared to be tourists with cameras strapped around their necks standing at the curb in front of Dealey Plaza. When the light on Elm Street turned red, they took turns running into the street, knelt, and pointed to a spot on the pavement. I walked towards them as they conversed on the sidewalk, oblivious to my approach.

There are two x's marked on Elm Street, positioned at each of the two points where Kennedy was shot. These women knelt at the point of the headshot and took photos of each other with broad smiles on their faces the entire time. I found this disrespectful, but I shrugged it off as symbolic of the times in which we live.

At the Book Depository, I bought a ticket to the museum on the fifth floor. I was disappointed that the sixth floor, the location of the Sniper's Nest, was off-limits, but it was still a moving experience.

The fifth floor has an identical Iayout as the sixth, however, so I took it all in, including the proximity of the staircase and freight elevator to the window at the corner of the building. I thought about how often Oswald had traveled where I was standing, and anyone who appreciates history knows how moving that can be. I looked down at Dealey Plaza and marveled at how close the shot was, my being positioned one floor below notwithstanding.

It was an experience I will never forget. I would be interested to know your reaction when you first visited Dealey Plaza. Please submit your comment below — I look forward to reading what you have to say.