Joseph Kennedy Jr. is killed, August 12, 1944
John Kennedy’s older brother, Joe, is a US Navy bomber pilot flying antisubmarine missions against the Nazis in Europe. His experimental Liberator bomber is carrying 21,000 pounds of TNT when it detonates over the English Channel. There is no body to bury. Joe was the firstborn son in a family in which great things are expected from the oldest son. His father expected him to be a politician. John is the next in line. That explosion marked the moment when John F. Kennedy became a politician and began his journey to the Oval Office.