The Gadfly Recalls JFK's Inauguration

Forty-eight years ago, an unexpected snow storm hit the Washington area on the eve of John F. Kennedy's inauguration. I remember it well. I was in charge of a unit of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineer's Inaugural Snow Removal Force stationed at Fort Belvoir, VA.

The Corps of Engineers photo pretty well tells the story; snow clogged D. C.'s streets and parked or abandoned cars were a headache.

My unit was assigned snow removal on Pennsylvania Avenue and in front of the reviewing stand.

Eight inches of snow had fallen and caused the most crippling traffic jam in memory. Hundreds of cars were marooned and thousands of cars were abandoned. The president-elect had to cancel dinner plans and, in a struggle to keep other commitments, is reported to have had only four hours of sleep. Former President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into Washington National Airport due to the weather and he had to miss the swearing-in ceremony.

By the time JFK was sworn in, I and my unit were long gone; our assignment complete, we loaded up and headed back to Fort Belvoir just after dawn. I did manage to stay awake long enough to watch the ceremony on the dayroom's black/white television. ~ Former Specialist Fourth Class Dennis M. McCarville, RA15595997.

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