Sheila Keenan - John F. Kennedy the Brave

His last name came from
his rich father.
His middle name came from
his powerful grandfather.
Nobody even used his first name.
Everybody just called him Jack.

One day, he would be called
Mr. President.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy became
the thirty- fifth president
of the United States.
Getting there was like an adventure
book he had read as a boy....

Jack was a skinny, sickly kid.
But he was a Kennedy.
His Irish- American father
was very clear on what that meant.
We want winners in this house.
So scrappy Jack kept up
with his eight brothers and sisters.

Jack often had health problems.
Whenever he was sick, he read.
He liked hero stories
and history books.
He read the newspaper every day.
Jack Kennedy wanted to know
what was going on in the world.

Jack joined the navy during World War II.
He was in charge
of a small patrol boat, P T-
One dark, moonless night,
an enemy warship plowed right
through Jacks boat.
P T- was ripped in half!

The crew was thrown into the ocean.
Jack saw a sailor who was badly hurt.
Jack grabbed the strap of the mans
life jacket in his teeth.
He towed the sailor as he swam.
Jack and his crew swam for hours
before they reached land.

Jack Kennedy was a hero,
just like in the books he had read!
He won medals.
His picture and story were all
over the newspapers.
The next year another Kennedy
made headlines.

Jacks older brother, Joe, died.
Jack was changed by the war
and his brothers death.
He wondered what to do next.
How could he make the world
a better place?
His father had an idea: go into politics.

Jack ran for Congress
from Massachusetts.
He greeted workers at factories
and fish markets.
He shook hands with voters at delis,
diners, barbershops, and ballparks.

Jack won the election.
While he was in Congress,
he married a newspaper photographer
named Jacqueline Bouvier.

In 1960, Jack Kennedy
ran for president.
He had bold ideas for the future.
He did well on the first
presidential debate ever shown on TV.
Voters liked what Jack had to say
and how he said it.
But he was Catholic.
Some people believed a Catholic
should not be president.
On election day,
Jack proved them wrong
but it was a very close race!

John F. Kennedy, 43,
became the youngest person
and first Catholic
ever elected president.
The lively, charming Kennedys
moved into the White House.
First Children Caroline and John Jr.
played in the Oval Office.