On that November morning, 40 years ago, I was walking along the streets of the East Bronx. I remember saying to myself, "We have such a great president. We haven't had such a great guy since Truman. I hope nothing happens to him because he is too good to be true." I was 26 years old and had been n the army when JFK first sent American military to Indo-China. Who even knew what VietNam was?

I had been in Germany when Kennedy came to Berlin after we had faced Ivan at the Wall, and Kennedy extended all our tours of duty. I was in the Reserves when the Cuban Missile Crises occurred.

Later that afternoon, when I heard that Kennedy had been shot, I told someone about my thoughts of that morning. The person said, "Don't let the police or FBI hear you say that. Keep your premonitions to yourself." How much more so would that advice have struck home after 9/11 and Ashcroft.