Death of a Father

My photo was taken at John F. Kennedy’s funeral of 3-year-old John Jr. saluting his father’s casket. This is a very famous photo from JFK’s funeral and it doesn’t feature his casket at all. Instead, it captures the somber atmosphere from the many facial expressions, and the focal point: John Jr. Compared to the all-black everyone is wearing, he has a light jacket on and only stands to everyone’s hips.

I think this is very cute but at the same time heartbreaking knowing that this 3-year-old just lost his father. It shows the naivety of the boy because he seems too young to understand that his father died but at the same time, he’s copying the men around him saluting his father. I think that in itself shows the tragedy of death at such a young age, and the loss of a parent to such a young child.