10 years ago, an awful wake-up call
Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009 9:01 AM
By Rehema Ellis, NBC News Correspondent
NEW YORK – Ten years ago I was visiting my family in Boston when the phone rang just before dawn on a Saturday morning. The call was from the NBC News assignment desk.
The person on the other end apologized for the early call on a summer weekend morning but explained there was a report that John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane was missing and might have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
I remember being asked, if need be, could I drive to Cape Cod to the Kennedy family home in Hyannis Port?
As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes my first response was, "Of course I can."
But I also thought this can’t be happening. This is a terrible mistake – some kind of a mix up. How could Kennedy’s plane just go missing? He can’t be dead. He’s too young, too handsome and too famous.
Of course, none of those things makes anyone immune to the tragic realities of life. And goodness knows, those qualities have not shielded the Kennedy family. Still, I wanted to dismiss the prospect of horrible news and hope for the best.
Initially – a mystery
The person on the assignment desk was just as incredulous about the veracity of the initial report. For several agonizing hours there was no firm confirmation that a tragic accident had occurred. But news crews were getting ready.
We had been told that Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and sister- in- law Lauren Bessette had taken off from a New York City area airport on the night of July 16, 1999, en route to Martha’s Vineyard. Questions were raised about whether they actually took off and if they had been in contact with people on the Vineyard.
A frenzy of activity began to sort out the truth. Calls were made to the Kennedy home in New York and to his relatives and friends. The news desk called the FAA, local authorities, even the Coast Guard was called to find out what, if any, search operation was under way.
Absent definite answers one thing was clear: I needed to get to Hyannis Port. Soon after I arrived that Saturday morning I knew I’d be there for several days.
I found myself in the midst of a massive crowd of local reporters and national correspondents, producers and cameramen. TV satellite trucks quickly became a part of the pristine beachfront landscape.
I remember reporting on how local Hyannis Port residents were reacting to the news that Kennedy’s plane was missing.
They had a hard time accepting the horrible truth, and they weren’t alone.
Some residents wanted to believe that somehow Kennedy, his wife and sister-in-law survived. I even wondered whether Kennedy could have flown off course and made his way to an uncharted island in the Caribbean. Admittedly a crazy thought I never included in my reports back then. But I write about it now just to point out that even for correspondents like me who often have to report on difficult stories, painful news is hard to accept until there’s proof.
Ultimately, of course, proof came.
Mourning another tragedy
In the heart wrenching days that followed parts of the plane were recovered along with remains of those on board.
In Hyannis, residents who had lived with the Kennedys as neighbors for decades kept a respectful distance. But when I returned to New York City I reported on how people went to the Kennedy apartment building, as well as churches, and left flowers, candles and cards.
I remember thinking that once again here was a Kennedy who would never grow old and it was extraordinary that all across the country people stopped and grieved for him just like they did for his father.
What do you recollect about the tragic death of JFK Jr., his wife and sister-in-law? Add your comments below.
