People commemorate John F. Kennedy killed 50 years ago
民众纪念肯尼迪被刺50周年

It’s 50 years to the day since former US President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The images from the grainy footage of the killing are forever burned into the psyche of the United States. A special memorial event is being held in Dallas on Friday, to mark the anniversary... from where our correspondent Ginger Vaughn reports.

It’s been called one of the United States’ darkest days. Three gunshots-fired into the Presidential motorcade. Two of those bullets tore into John F Kennedy, killing the American president.

"It’s something that I’ve read about for fifty years. And now to actually be here and experience, and look at the grounds and so on, it’s just extremely interesting," said Mark Dickie, a Dallas resident.

"It seems like that he is still inspiring people fifty years later, and will for another fifty years," said John Bilyew, a Dallas resident.

Of particular interest to visitors are the landmarks that became part of history that day in Dallas. The Texas school depository-where those fateful shots were fired.

Parkland hospital where the President was taken after the attack. And the Texas theatre, where the gunman-Lee Harvey Oswald-was arrested.

"When I heard the shots I thought some idiot had fired the shots as a demonstration. It was inconceivable to me that the shots would have directed at Kennedy," said Robert Macneil.

Then a reporter for NBC News Robert MacNeil was in Dealey Plaza when Kennedy was shot.

"It ushered in, kind of opened the door to all the nightmarish things that seized this country by the throat for the rest of the decade of the 1960s," said Robert Macneil.

"Visitors from around the world have made the trip here to Dallas. Thousands of people are expected to be on hand Friday to commemorate the day that JFK was killed," said Ginger Vaughn.

A simple ceremony is planned. It will last about an hour and feature a short speech by the mayor of Dallas. Church bells will ring. And there will be a moment of silence for President Kennedy. But no one from the Kennedy family is expected to attend.