Bobby Kennedy - THE AFTERMATH
Bobby Kennedy wanted a simple gravesite. He also wanted to be buried at his family's compound in Hyannis Port. Instead, he is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His grave is near the grave of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Image online, courtesy Arlington Cemetery.
Initially, the stricken Senator was taken to Central Receiving Hospital. Although it was nearby, the hospital was not equipped to care for Bobby's severe wounds. Needing a neurosurgeon, he was transferred to Good Samaritan.
Bobby's press secretary, Frank Mankiewicz, talked with press reporters at Good Samaritan Hospital on June 5, 1968, after the assassination. It fell to Jesse Unruh to announce that Bobby had died. Later that day, Pierre Salinger briefed the press about Bobby's upcoming funeral.
Newspapers, like the Herald-Examiner, ran an "extra" edition, to report the shooting to shocked LA residents. Crowds gathered on Lucas Street to watch as Bobby's casket left Good Samaritan Hospital, en route to Los Angeles International Airport. Family members, who would fly home with the body, and LA's mayor, Sam Yorty, were at the airport.
Bobby's casket was loaded onto Air Force One which transported his body east (on June 6, 1968). Spectators at the airport, watching the plane leave, were overcome with grief.
A special Mass for Bobby was held in Los Angeles on June 9th, at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana. His funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in New York City, where Ted Kennedy gave the eulogy. In that tribute, the sole surviving Kennedy brother quoted, at length, from Bobby's "Affirmation Day" speech. Following the service, a funeral train carried RFK's body to D.C.
It was Bobby's wish to have a simple burial site. He was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery, not far from his brother's grave. It is marked by a white cross.
Although Sirhan was found guilty of killing Bobby, and was sentenced to death—which was later commuted to life following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in effect for a short time, that the death penalty was unconstitutional—questions remained.
The FBI conducted an investigation into the available evidence. That report—provided here in its three-part, on-line version—caused others to take a closer look at what might have actually happened.
Bos, Carole "THE AFTERMATH" AwesomeStories.com. Nov 01, 2006. Jan 20, 2020.
<http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/THE-AFTERMATH-Bobby-Kennedy>.
RFK Assassination - Crowds at Good Samaritan Hospital
Frank Mankiewicz - RFK Press Secretary
Jesse Unruh - RFK Death Announcement
RFK Shooting - Los Angeles Residents Stunned
Bobby Kennedy's Hearse Transports His Coffin to LAX
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City
Kennedy Team Traveled with Bobby Kennedy's Body
Loading RFK's Casket onto Air Force One
RFK - Coffin Departing LAX
Bobby Kennedy - Body Departs LAX
Mass at Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles
RFK - Funeral Train and Final Resting Place
Robert F. Kennedy - Eulogy by Ted Kennedy
Robert Kennedy Grave at Arlington Cemetery
Robert Kennedy's Burial Site
Ted Kennedy - Giving Eulogy at RFK's Funeral
Bobby - Trailer