The Legacy Of John F. Kennedy - 1085 Words

John Fitzgerald Kennedy made history as America’s youngest and first Catholic President. JFK, or â€Å"Jack† Kennedy, was born into a wealthy family, who were considered American royalty. Jack Kennedy was only our President for a few short years, but the stories of his assassination and his legacy live on today. President Kennedy was easily one of America’s most famous leaders of all time. John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917. Jack was the second of nine children born into the one of the richest families in America, the son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. In spite of being born into privilege, Jack was sickly most of his life. He was a victim of many childhood diseases, including whooping cough, measles, chicken†¦show more content†¦Jack finally got more interested in his future and became dedicated to his studies. In 1940, Jack graduated 65th out of 110 students, majoring in government and international relations. After he graduated, he studied at Stanford for one semester until World War II began heating up. Jack s long-term dream was to join the Navy. He finally joined after his brother Joe was drafted. In 1941, Jack attempted to join the Navy, but he failed his fitness test and was sent away. He spent the rest of the year doing physical training but did not pass his second test and was sent away again. Jack was angry because his brother had already started training to be a Navy pilot. Jack tried a final time and passed with some help from his father s connections. Jack s first Navy job was as a desk worker in Charleston, South Carolina. He stayed there for one year until he was assigned to patrol boat training. He stood out among his comrades for his leadership skills. In April 1943, he was assigned to a PT109 patrol boat near the Solomon Islands. Four months later,Jack s PT boat was struck by a Japanese destroyer killing two of his men on impact. All of the crew members were in shock or injured. Some were unconscious and couldn t swim. Jack and his surviving men swam to a remote island and were there for several days without seeing any signs of other people. On the third day, Jack found a native on the island. He