Somber scene at grave as US recalls day Kennedy was kille

Flags across the United States were lowered and a wreath-laying ceremony was held Friday at Arlington National Cemetery to honour president John F Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, dpa reported. Members of the Kennedy family laid the wreath, joining several others already placed, and a bugler played an emotional version of Taps at the grave of the 34th president, whose life was cut short by a sniper in Dallas, Texas. A steady stream of visitors passed the site, some placing red or white roses and other mementoes recalling the three years in the early '60s when Kennedy occupied the White House. One visitor laid a Peace Corps badge and cap, symbolizing an organization Kennedy called into existence to show American goodwill toward developing countries. Another placed a green beret with the insignia of the US special forces military unit. The somber scene at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, took place under overcast skies and occasional light rain. US President Barack Obama ordered flags to be lowered to half mast, noting that Kennedy had "called a generation to service and summoned a nation to greatness." Friday's events follow weeks of television documentaries, magazine cover stories and poignant recollections of the day Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade through Dallas A series of commemorations was scheduled to take place later Friday in Dallas, Texas, where Kennedy was shot, and in his home, Boston, Massachusetts.