He had previously attended the London School of Economics and was entering graduate school at Stanford University in California when he paused, with all of America to intently listen to President Roosevelt’s galvanizing declaration following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor ending with “a date which will live in infamy”. Kennedy’s future was one of privilege and opportunity with his graduation from Harvard University in 1940. "Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the United States Navy,'" wrote President John F. He was lauded a hero for which he said "it was involuntary, they sank my boat". It was one of those moments he learned you do what you’ve got to do. His ability to make quick decisions under stress with the welfare of those around him would be put to the test like no other on a fateful August night in 1943. One of the most influential periods could easily have been his tenure as a naval combat officer in the South Pacific fighting the Japanese following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Kennedy’s strength of character and leadership was influenced by many aspects of his life. The world held its breath and waited to see who would back down first. Navy to create a blockade around the Caribbean Island of Cuba. Was the Russian Premier Khrushchev testing the young Kennedy? Kennedy made a pivotal decision by ordering the U.S. The Soviets were establishing missile bases in Cuba 90 miles from the tip of Florida. This would be a post-World War II event that could plunge the global climate into a nuclear winter and kill millions. Yet, he is also the first and possibly only US President to be faced with one of the world’s most critical moments when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the verge of engaging in global nuclear thermal warfare in 1962. His humanity in pursuing civil rights in the United States elevated him to a visionary level of both Presidents Lincoln and Washington. Elected in 1960, he brought an energy and grace to the Oval Office. Kennedy is arguably one of America’s greatest U.S. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Photograph by Frank Turgeon Jr. United States Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade John F.
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