Obamas, Clintons Honor JFK at Gravesite
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MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Fifty years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Obama and former President Bill Clinton visited his gravesite Wednesday to honor their predecessor.
Standing side-by-side, the presidents, joined by first lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, laid a wreath at the eternal flame marking Kennedy’s final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery and observed a moment of silence.
Afterward, the Obamas and Clintons greeted members of the Kennedy family who attended the brief ceremony, including Ethel Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg, the 20-year-old son of Caroline Kennedy.
The president, first lady and the Clintons then walked over to the memorial inscription overlooking the cemetery before getting back into their vehicles.
The visit to the gravesite was part of the president’s daylong tribute to Kennedy, which comes two days before the Friday anniversary of his assassination.
Wednesday evening, Obama is expected to reflect on Kennedy’s life and legacy at a dinner honoring the recipients of the National Medal of Freedom, which Kennedy established 50 years ago.
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