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Gallery Talk – PT-109 and the 1960 Campaign
September 2, 2016 | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
| $5Event Navigation
On August 2, 1943, Lt. John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat PT-109 was sunk in the Pacific Theater. Kennedy, clenching a life jacket strap between his teeth to tow one injured crewmember, swam for four hours to lead survivors to a nearby island. This dramatic tale of World War II heroism framed Senator Kennedy’s political narrative as he ran for president in 1960. This discussion of the impact that the PT-109 story had on Kennedy’s life and career included a special screening of a five-minute 1960 campaign commercial hosted by actor Henry Fonda.