Since I grew up with both my parents, I assumed that I knew a great deal about my father, John Bartle. I could not have been more wrong! I had heard stories about his being in the United States Airforce, but I never knew the governing factors surrounding them. It turns out that in 1968, my father, age twenty-two, was stationed in Spain. Apparently, he had enlisted in the Airforce because he was about to be drafted, and he claimed, "

Since I was young, I have been taught about the slaying of Martin Luther King in Memphis. Until I read the newspaper articles though, I had not realized what an impact it had on the nation. I read of how the nation mourned, and how the President canceled an important trip to Hawaii to meet with Mrs. King. Linda said that when she heard the news, she was in History class, and remembered how "horrifying" it was. She said told me of how her teacher wept through the entire class. Instead of carrying on with that day's lesson, the class discussed what had happened. I was surprised when my father revealed that he did not hear the news of Martin Luther King until a week after, and that he could not recall exactly how he felt about it. He sounded embarrassed that he did not know too much about it, but I urged him that his position physically and mentally was very interesting to me. I could not imagine being so far away from home, and so detached from events in one's country.

I found that Richard Nixon's entering into the presidential campaign in 1968 to be significant news of the year. Linda Pacelli agreed with me. She said that she was surprised that he was "back in the thick of things." She told me about how Nixon was not as liberal as most politicians during that time, and not so "extreme." Linda claimed that this pleased many people, like her father, because many were against radical themes like the anti-war movement, and the counterculture. My father had a different point of view on the whole situation. He said that at that point, he was not "political," and that he probably would not have been supportive of him based on the position he was taking at that time. This showed me that social issues of these times were very closely tied to political ones, and that opinions on each varied greatly.

The capturing of the intelligence ship, the Pueblo, was another unfortunate event in 1968. My father said that he felt terrible for the guys, because he could "relate to their situation." Also, he was disturbed by how North Koreans were treating the crew. Linda knew even more about the situation, because she had read a book by Lloyd Bucher. This book told the story of the incidents onboard the Pueblo. Linda found the whole situation both tragic and engaging. She said that the crew, according the book by Bucher, had been spying. Linda said that this was something that initiated the public to take a good look at the government, and it's intentions. She, like my father, felt terrible for the young, American men, for the whole ordeal lasted so long. Linda described the men as "sitting ducks", and I think she was right in her description of the crew. By reading the New York Times only, I did not have a clear grasp on what really happened involving the intelligence ship. After speaking with my father and Linda, I know see how momentous it really was.

Possibly one of the most abominable events of 1968 was the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The news of his untimely death stunned and dismayed the country. Linda, remarkably, was working in New York City at the time of his Funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and she remembers being stuck in traffic while trying to get to work. She remembers that is was "all the big news,"

Some common words found in the essay are:
Linda Pacelli, Vietnam War, Robert Kennedy, Luther King, Columbia University, Lyndon Johnson, Spain Apparently, York Times, Seventeen Magazine, Pueblo Linda, linda pacelli, martin luther king, martin luther, luther king, oral history, robert kennedy, newspaper articles, father remembered, vietnam war, father linda, father revealed, father huge fan,
Approximate Word count = 2199
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)