JFK: A Special Birthday At Camp David

MAY 29, 1963 CAMP DAVID

John Fitzgerald Kennedy would have been 99 years old today, May 29, 2016, had his life not been taken by an assassin.  Truly one of the saddest days in the history of our country.  Those of us living in that era all know exactly where we were and what we were doing when the news of the shooting came over the television and radio.  The world stopped.

Living in a suburb of Washington DC at the time enabled me to witness his last journey to the church for his funeral service and his burial ceremony on the way to Arlington Cemetery.  It was the first time in my life that I had experienced grief.  Not just grief but massive grief.  Men, women, and kids lined up on the funeral route crying unashamedly.  I can still hear the muffled drums' sounds on Constitution Avenue playing the funeral march, Hail to the Chief, and the Navy Hymn.  I have never heard absolute silence from crowds of thousands and thousands of people as they watched the procession in freezing cold temperatures.  It was a lot to take in at the tender age of 12.  It was hard to understand how our President could be murdered on a public street, and it still is.

This short story is about the President's last birthday celebrated at Camp David, Maryland, in the Catoctin Mountains.  They say it was quite a happy affair.  David Niven, the actor, and Ben Bradlee, the best friend of John Kennedy, attended the celebration.  It was not a huge party, but a very happy and private party.  Camp David was the one place a president and his family can go that is completely private.  It is located on the top of a mountain accessible by only driving up the long mountain road or by helicopter.  It is a totally wooded and private area guarded by the secret service and a special Marine detachment.  It would be the last birthday party John Kennedy would have.

My ex-husband was stationed there for 18 months, from 1970-1971.  All of the Marines stationed there are required to have a top-secret security clearance.  They are not supposed to discuss anything that happens there.  It's like Vegas; what happens there stays there.  But of course, the guys discussed things amongst themselves, and eventually, some of the events might be relayed to wives or girlfriends who are sworn not to talk about what they have been told for fear of repercussion to their husbands or boyfriends.

My ex-husband Mike died in September of 2015.  He told me a lot of things that went on behind the gates of Camp David.  This particular story was told to me by him and another Marine stationed there.  I can't tell you if it is an urban legend or hearsay.  I can only tell you that they, my husband, and his friend were warned ahead of time on Memorial Day weekend to disregard any noises or activity coming from the Presidential Cabin.

The story is that every year about 2 am on the early morning of the 30th of May, music, lights, and the sound of laughter and voices are observed by the guards.  The unmistakable sound of clinking glasses and conversation continues for several hours, and then the cabin goes dark.  It is said that the same routine is witnessed every year, and all of the new guards are warned about it in advance.  The activity has continued every year from 1964 through 1971, the last year my husband was there and most likely continues.

I know it is a weird story, but I swear to you that the guys stationed there said it was the gospel.  Camp David was loved by JFK for the privacy and normalcy that it provided for his family and himself, away from the public and reporters' prying eyes.  Maybe his happiness there is imprinted on time as one of his last happy family get together's.  I don't believe that it was made up simply because of the repercussions that it would cause the guys stationed there.

So now you know a secret.  Or an inside story.  Whatever it may be, I would like to say Happy Celestial Birthday Mr. President.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that I have missed your smile and charm and classiness.  Rock on in eternity.