With all the bashing of rich people, politicians, Democrats, and rich Democratic politicians I've seen lately, I thought I'd pass on a little family story about one of the great rich Democratic politicians. One of my uncles served in the Navy at the end of WWII as a radar man on the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. destroyer. Here it is. For those of you who don't know, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was the eldest son of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., father of President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy and one of the richest men in America. In 1969 he was estimated to be worth about $400 million, that's about $2,665,602,122.00 dollars today. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr's eldest son Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was killed after completing 25 combat missions as a pilot in a PB4Y Liberator. He was then eligible for stateside service but instead volunteered for Operation Aphrodite. Operation Aphrodite involved flying a B-24 Liberator robot plane loaded with explosives. He was to fly it to a designated site, arm the bombs and then bailout and have the plane crash into the target. Unfortunately after Joe armed the explosives the plane blew up killing him and his co pilot. His father had been grooming him to be president. So as his dad was rich and influential he got a destroyer named after him. My uncle served on that destroyer. The word came down that Robert F. Kennedy was to be assigned to that same ship. Robert had given up officers training becasue he wanted to be in combat, so he was assigned to the ship as an able bodied seaman, not an officer. Remember his father is worth millions. My uncle knew him and said he asked for no special treatment. He swabbed the deck, hung over the side and painted the hull, and did all the other duties an ordinary seaman would do. One day in port he came up to my uncle and said, " Hey Mike, can you loan me five dollars? We'll go into town and see a few museums." (His father was a millionaire and he was broke.) My uncle replied that he'd lend him the five dollars but he was going to find a bar and some women. So Robert went off to the museums on his own. He paid the five dollars back when he got his next paycheck form the Navy. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin on June 5, 1968 while running for President, five years after the assassination of his brother President John F. Kennedy. Just thought I'd share a personal family story about a few rich people who were truly honorable, humble, and human.
Rich people need all the support we can give them. My dad was grooming me to be president, too, but then we figured out I'm not rich. Thanks for this story of a perfectly ordinary rich person. It's a reminder that rich people are great.
Yes, there are people who, even though they could have evaded dangerous duty in times of war, volunteered for active dangerous missions. Obviously you're not impressed by the rich who give back to society by dying for a just cause even though they don't have to, as Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, did. And you're not impressed by rich people who shun their wealth, even though they could evade the military, and then enter it at its lowest level to serve their time in action when they could have stayed state side at an office job. And refuse their father's money and live off of an enlisted man's salary while in service. No all rich people are evil.
No, I'm not impressed by rich people. I'm impressed by people. Your wealth or lack thereof makes absolutely no difference. The only question is, why do you have to live so large at all?
With all due respect, I grew up here in Massachusetts (In Kennedy Country) and I’ve heard all the stories about how Joseph P Kennedy Sr. made his money and much of it was through smuggling and bootlegging.. Massachusetts Coast Guard records from the time of prohibition (which seized boats with liquor aboard) included delivery manifests showing drop-offs in Hyannis Post where the Kennedy’s had their summer home. I’ve been to the JFK National Historic Site in Brookline, I’ve driven past the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis, To the Funeral Mass of Ted Kennedy, I’ve been to the JFK Library, I’ve been to Chappaquiddick Island, and drove past Jackie Kennedy Onassis House on Martha's vineyard, which btw was recently put on the market for $65,000,000 dollars. Since I was a little Kid when it came to politics or intrigue here in Massachusetts it was always The Kennedy’s. Whether it was Senator Ted Kennedy’s drinking, William Kennedy Smith’s rape allegation and Trial, or the murder conviction of Michael Skakel,(a Kennedy cousin) who killed and raped Martha Moxley. I've heard it all, I've seen it all.
Sure. But that doesn't diminish the fact that Joe senior's sons Joe, Jack, and Bobby forsook those very riches when their country was in the middle of a war. One giving his life when he could have very easily avoided doing it, another having his boat blown out from under him and a third giving up his officier's training to become a common seaman. Are there bad apples in the Kennedy clan? Sure. That doesn't have anything to do with my post or what the three Kennedy kids that I mentioned did. My point was that there are rich members of the human race that deserve some amount of respect. It always amazes me that many times those who bitch about people that have too much money are the very ones who cry and scream every time the words socialism or communism arise. Do the Kennedys have too much money? Perhaps, but are you saying you want to see the U.S. adopt a socialist or communist government and economy? Should there be a limit on how much wealth an individual can amass? Shall we pass a law that everyone in the country has the same amount of money? Is it time to roll out the guillotine?
You are correct. Not all rich people are evil, just like all white people are not ignorant, all the black people are not criminals, all asians are not smart, all hispanics are not trying to take your(sic) job, and all native Americans are not drunks. Some how, at some time we've forgot this. I digress however. The problem is that people like the Koch brothers, trump, and ceo's that don't care about their employees are what give rich people a bad reputation. There is a anecdote that goes like this "at both ends of the social spectrum, there lies a leisure class".
I don’t judge the entire Kennedy Clan on the misdeeds of a few, and I admire their staunch dedication to serving the community and the nation, but I also don’t place them on a pedestal.
