What's life been like for a 17 year old bus boy to have been part of one of the most tragic political events in American history?
The Los Angele Times wrote an incredible article on that young man, Juan Romero, this morning. It's an incredibly moving, emotional, and gut wrenching article as well as a reminder of what once was, and what could have been.
In June, Juan Romero did something he hadn't done in decades. He celebrated his birthday, going out to dinner with his family in San Jose.
"I always dreaded when June was coming up," said Romero, 65, who has struggled for most of his adult life to let go of his crippling memory of an American tragedy.
It happened just after midnight on June 5, 1968. Robert F. Kennedy had won the California presidential primary and made his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, where Romero was a 17-year-old busboy.
A Roosevelt High School student who had moved north from Mexico at the age of 10, Romero recalled the photos of President John F. Kennedy that hung alongside those of Pope John XXIII in the homes of Mexican families.
He worked at the hotel after school and had delivered room service to Kennedy earlier in the week. He knew he'd never forget the way Kennedy treated him and the pride he felt, and now he wanted to congratulate him as the candidate made his way through a kitchen service area. Romero reached out, took Kennedy's hand, and watched him slump to the floor as gun blasts echoed.
There is really nothing I can add to this diary - you can read the rest of the article here.
http://www.latimes.com/...
UPDATE: I cut back part of the article I block quoted at the suggestion of one of the comments left below so there is not much to this diary - but to be honest, it's a really powerful article and I thought the less said by me the better. I just wanted to get the article out there to share with everyone. I've emailed it out quite a bit to friends on the east coast and have received numerous calls from sobbing individuals - the article has really touched a nerve with people.