A MEMORABLE AMERICAN
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was the youngest man elected to office. Kennedy was also the first Catholic President ever elected. In 1960, Democratic senator Kennedy defeated Richard M. Nixon, the Vice President to Dwight D. Eisenhower, in the presidential election. The 1960s was a decade filled with great achievements as well as overwhelming tragedies. John F. Kennedy’s contributions in shaping the history of the United States have been substantial. Kennedy’s most fundamental accomplishments are all on a national or global level which include: serving his country, legislating on Capitol Hill, establishing the Peace Corps, supporting the U.S. Space Program, avoiding a nuclear war, and promoting the Civil Rights Movement.
To begin with, one of Kennedy’s earliest accomplishments was serving his country during World War II. In September1940, Kennedy was drafted to the military service but was excused from the draft because of his health problems. In 1941, he enlisted in the Army and Navy but was rejected because of his failure of the physical exam. After spending the entire summer getting into physical shape and condition, Kennedy went through another physical examination and passed. On September 25, 1941, Kennedy secured a spot in the Navy. He attended the Naval Reserve Officers Training School from July 27 through September 27 in 1942. During Kennedy’s naval services, he became the Lieutenant of PT-109 in 1943. While on patrol to intercept Japanese battleships on August 1, 1943, Kennedy’s boat split into two within seconds from a Japanese destroyer. With two crewmembers killed from the collision, Kennedy rescued and towed a wounded soldier to an island three miles away. Within five hours the remaining crew all ended up on the island together. Stranded on the island for days, Kennedy ensured a rescue attempt for the survivors by carving a note into a coconut and giving it to a native on the...