"JFK PUT A GOLD ST. CHRISTOPHER'S MEDAL INSIDE THE CASKET"

REST IN PEACE, BABY PATRICK

Brookline, MA (JFK+50) On August 10, 1963, the infant son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was laid to rest at Holyhood Cemetery* here in Brookline.

Patrick, who was born five and a half weeks premature, died in the early morning hours of August 9, only 39 hours after birth.  The Kennedy baby died as a result of complications of hyaline membrane disease.

Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy, recovering from the delivery at Otis Air Force Base Hospital, was unable to attend the service.

The funeral mass, celebrated by Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston, at his residence, was attended only by members of the immediate Kennedy family.

The gravesite at Holyhood Cemetery was only a short distance from Beals Street where JFK was born.  According to David Powers, the President put a gold St. Christopher's Medal inside the casket.


*Holyhood Cemetery is located on Heath Street in Brookline, MA.  Laid out in 1857, it covers 35 acres.  HC is the resting place of JFK's father & mother, Joseph & Rose.  It also is the burial site of Irish poet/journalist John Boyle O'Reilly.


SOURCE

"Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye:  Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy," by Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David F. Powers, Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1970, 1972.

Holyhood Cemetery Chapel

Brookline, Massachusetts

Photo by Magicpiano (2011)

www.wikimedia.org/

  

          

"HE SEEMS SO ALONE HERE"

BABY PATRICK KENNEDY LAID TO REST

Brookline, Massachsetts (JFK+50) On August 10, 1963, the infant son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was laid to rest at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, a suburb of Boston.

Patrick, who was born five and a half weeks premature on August 7, died in the early morning hours of August 9, only 39 hours after birth.  The Kennedy baby died as a result of complications of hyaline membrane disease which is common in premature births.

Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy, recovering from the delivery at Otis Air Force Base Hospital, was unable to attend the service.

The funeral mass, celebrated by Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston, at his residence, was attended only by members of the immediate Kennedy family.

The gravesite at Holyhood Cemetery was only a short distance from 83 Beals Street where President John F. Kennedy was born.  According to David Powers, JFK put a gold Saint Christopher's Medal, which had been a present given to him by Jacqueline, inside the casket.

At graveside, President Kennedy "tightly gripped" Patrick's small white coffin.

Kenneth O'Donnell and David Powers wrote...

"The loss of Patrick affected the President and Jackie more deeply than anybody except their closest friends realized."

A couple of months later, JFK left the Harvard-Columbia football game at halftime to visit Patrick's grave.  The President asked Kenny O'Donnell and Dave Powers to make sure he wasn't followed by the press.

Standing in the cemetery looking down at the headstone marked "Kennedy," JFK said to Dave and Kenny...

"He seems so alone here."

After JFK's death and burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy's remains were placed next to those of his father.

  

Grave of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy

Arlington National Cemetery

Photo by John White (2017)

          

SOURCE

"Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye:  Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy," by Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David F. Powers, Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1970, 1972.

HE SEEMS SO ALONE HERE

BABY PATRICK LAID TO REST

Brookline, Massachsetts (JFK+50) On August 10, 1963, the infant son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was laid to rest here at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline.

Patrick, who was born five and a half weeks premature three days earlier, died in the early morning hours of August 9, only 39 hours after birth.  The Kennedy baby died as a result of complications of hyaline membrane disease which was common in premature births.  25,000 babies died every year from the disease.

According to Dr. Lawrence K. Altman, however, if Baby Patrick had been born in 2013, his chances of survival, because of improvements in medical care for premature babies, would have been 95%.  Baby Patrick, who was born at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, weighed 4 pounds 10 1/2 ounces at birth.

The funeral mass, celebrated by Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston was attended only by members of the immediate Kennedy family.
According to David Powers, the President put a gold Saint Christopher's Medal, which had been a present given to him by Jacqueline, inside the casket.

At graveside, President Kennedy "tightly gripped" Patrick's small white coffin.
Kenny O'Donnell and Dave Powers wrote...

"The loss of Patrick affected the President and Jackie more deeply than anybody except their closest friends realized."

A couple of months later, JFK left the Harvard-Columbia football game at halftime to visit Patrick's grave.  The President asked Kenny and Dave to make sure he wasn't followed by the press.

Standing in the cemetery, looking down at the headstone marked KENNEDY, JFK said to Dave and Kenny...

"He seems so alone here."

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy's remains are now alongside his parents at Arlington National Cemetery.  

SOURCES

"A Kennedy Baby's Life and Death," by Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., The New York Times, July 29, 2013, www.nytimes.com/

"Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye:  Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy," by Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David F. Powers, Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1970, 1972.

Grave of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy

Arlington National Cemetery

Photo by John White (2016)

PATRICK BOUVIER KENNEDY LAID TO REST

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2035

BABY PATRICK KENNEDY WOULD HAVE HIGH SURVIVAL CHANCE TODAY

Brookline, Massachsetts (JFK+50) The infant son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was laid to rest here at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline fifty-three years ago today, August 10, 1963.

Patrick, who was born five and a half weeks premature three days earlier, died in the early morning hours of August 9, only 39 hours after birth.  The Kennedy baby died as a result of complications of hyaline membrane disease which was common in premature births.  25,000 babies died every year from the disease.

According to Dr. Lawrence K. Altman, however, if Baby Patrick had been born in 2013, his chances of survival, because of improvements in medical care for premature babies, would have been 95%.

Baby Patrick, who was born at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, weighed 4 pounds 10 1/2 ounces at birth.

The funeral mass, celebrated by Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston, at his residence, was attended only by members of the immediate Kennedy family.

According to David Powers, the President put a gold Saint Christopher's Medal, which had been a present given to him by Jacqueline, inside the casket.

At graveside, President Kennedy "tightly gripped" Patrick's small white coffin.
Kenny O'Donnell and Dave Powers wrote...

"The loss of Patrick affected the President and Jackie more deeply than anybody except their closest friends realized."

A couple of months later, JFK left the Harvard-Columbia football game at halftime to visit Patrick's grave.  The President asked Kenny and Dave to make sure he wasn't followed by the press.

Standing in the cemetery, looking down at the headstone marked KENNEDY, JFK said to Dave and Kenny...

"He seems so alone here."

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy's remains are now alongside his parents at Arlington National Cemetery.  

SOURCES

"A Kennedy Baby's Life and Death," by Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., The New York Times, July 29, 2013, www.nytimes.com/

"Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye:  Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy," by Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David F. Powers, Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1970, 1972.

Grave of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy

Arlington National Cemetery

Photo by John White (2016)

BABY PATRICK LAID TO REST

August 10, 2013

BABY PATRICK LAID TO REST 50 YEARS AGO

Brookline, Massachsetts (JFK+50) The infant son of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was laid to rest here at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline 50 years ago today, August 10, 1963.

Patrick, who was born five and a half weeks premature on August 7, died in the early morning hours of August 9, only 39 hours after birth.

The Kennedy baby died as a result of complications of hyaline membrane disease which is common in premature births.

Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy, recovering from the delivery at Otis Air Force Base Hospital, was unable to attend the service.

The funeral mass, celebrated by Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston, at his residence, was attended only by members of the immediate Kennedy family.

The gravesite at Holyhood Cemetery was only a short distance from 83 Beals Street where President John F. Kennedy was born.

According to David Powers, JFK put a gold Saint Christopher's Medal, which had been a present given to him by Jacqueline, inside the casket.

At graveside, President Kennedy "tightly gripped" Patrick's small white coffin.

Kenneth O'Donnell and David Powers wrote...

"The loss of Patrick affected the President and Jackie more deeply than anybody except their closest friends realized."

A couple of months later, JFK left the Harvard-Columbia football game at halftime to visit Patrick's grave.  The President asked Kenny O'Donnell and Dave Powers to make sure he wasn't followed by the press.

Standing in the cemetery looking down at the headstone marked "Kennedy," JFK said to Dave and Kenny...

"He seems so alone here."

After JFK's death and burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy's remains were placed next to those of his father.

           JFK Gravesite at Arlington
    Photo by Kevin Rutherford (2010)

SOURCE

"Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye:  Memories of John Fitzgerald Kennedy," by Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David F. Powers, Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1970, 1972.

TRUMAN SIGNS NATIONAL SECURITY BILL

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Sixty four years ago today, August 10, 1949, and two years following the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947, the National Security Bill was signed into law at the White House by President Harry S Truman.

The bill, amending the National Security Act of 1947, established the Department of Defense and the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The 1st Secretary of Defense was Louis Johnson while the 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was General Omar Bradley.

Truman Signs National Security Bill
                   August 10, 1949
         Truman Library Photo


JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER 68 YEARS AGO 

Tokyo, Japan (JFK+50) After atomic bombs were dropped by the United States on two of Japan's major cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki,  the Japanese Imperial government decided 68 years ago today, August 10, 1945, to agree to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and accept unconditional surrender.

When this news reached the White House, President Harry Truman ordered an immediate halt to continued use of atomic weapons.

In a telegram sent to the President, while the Japanese agreed to accept unconditional surrender, they would not accept any conditions that would "prejudice the prerogatives" of the emperor.

News of the surrender was not made public in Japan until August 15 when Emperor Hirohito gave his radio address.

           Hirohito in Dress Uniform 
                                 1935