GlenLakes Veteran
Paul Griffin
Personal Memoir of JFK Funeral
Paul enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis at the age of seventeen. It was a cold January on Long Island, NY and he was hoping to be sent to San Diego for basic training. He should have known better…he was sent to Great Lakes, Ill. He attended the Naval UDT School. (Underwater Demolition) which soon after was renamed, “Navy Seals.”.
In Paul's own words:
My first assignment was in Washington, D.C. for the funeral of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Out of hundreds of thousands of active military service personnel, the Navy assumed the role of honor since JFK had also served in the Navy. I was part of an elite group of naval personnel selected for the color guard detail at The White House. We spent the next few days preparing for our role in the nation’s mourning process by industriously detailing uniforms: metal buttons, belt buckles, pins, ribbons and making certain that our shoes reflected hours of rigorous spit shining. Daily drills on the parade ground took on an intensity that was palpable while the intervening hours were passed with never-ending inspections; this was not the time to be the only nail in a room full of hammers.
There are many stories from that day, and I have been fortunate to have reflected upon them with my “Band of Brothers” and fellow “Vietnam Era Veterans” and “Cold-War Warriors!”
You can read more about Paul's memoirs detailing his experience of being part of the funeral procession by visiting his "Griffin House" website. Please click on the button below:
In Paul's own words:
My first assignment was in Washington, D.C. for the funeral of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Out of hundreds of thousands of active military service personnel, the Navy assumed the role of honor since JFK had also served in the Navy. I was part of an elite group of naval personnel selected for the color guard detail at The White House. We spent the next few days preparing for our role in the nation’s mourning process by industriously detailing uniforms: metal buttons, belt buckles, pins, ribbons and making certain that our shoes reflected hours of rigorous spit shining. Daily drills on the parade ground took on an intensity that was palpable while the intervening hours were passed with never-ending inspections; this was not the time to be the only nail in a room full of hammers.
There are many stories from that day, and I have been fortunate to have reflected upon them with my “Band of Brothers” and fellow “Vietnam Era Veterans” and “Cold-War Warriors!”
You can read more about Paul's memoirs detailing his experience of being part of the funeral procession by visiting his "Griffin House" website. Please click on the button below:
Paul's You Tube Video Compilation
White House Color Guard
Paul Griffin: Musician
Paul is also an accomplished musician. Below is a You Tube video of Paul performing one of his many musical efforts:
And we'd be remiss here if we didn't include a beautiful singing rendition from Paul's beautiful wife Irene:
Learn more about Paul and Irene, our fellow GLVFA members and GlenLakes friends, by clicking on the button below: