Hi folks !      Before I get much further into updating my collection, I thought now might be the appropriate time to reveal a little about myself andthe reasons for collecting Kennedy Half Dollars. As some of you are aware, I'm no "spring chick"  :-)  I remember where I was at and whatI was doing on November 23, 1963. I was a young boy in elementary school, Highland Park, in Roanoke, Va. School let out early that dayas it was announced over the PA system that the President had been shot. I wouldn't really comprehend what that meant for me untilseveral years later. I went running across the park to get home and speak to my mother about what had happened and why school let outearly. My mother, only having a third grade education explained to me the best that she could. We had an old black & white second handtelevision and watched with awe the burial ceremonies taking place in Washington, D.C. When 1964 rolled around, I didn't have a chanceto personally collect any of the new Kennedy Half Dollars due to the fact that we (my family) grew up poor.     When 1972 came around, I like millions of other young men, I received a letter from the Government saying "C'mon Down" ! My step-fatherwas a WWII vet and was in the Army. I figured if it was good enough for him that it was good enough for me. To avoid being drafted intoa branch of the service I didn't want to be a part of i.e. Navy, Air Force, Marines, I went and enlisted RA. This was another important yearin my life and the reason for my purchase yesterday. I had watched the moon landing on television just like millions across the U.S. I didn'trecall Charlie Dukes though. The name that stuck out in my mind was John Glenn. My mother, making me attend school and get an educationsaved my A$$ in 1973. My First Sergeant (we called him "TOP") told me that I was going to further my military education instead of beingput on a plane to Da Nang ! It was a bitter/sweet day to say the least. I went on to serve in the U.S. Army until May, 1986. After that, I keptworking for the Dept. of the Army as a civilian until Dec. 2000. A lot of that time was spent in what is sometimes referred to as the "DeepState" :-)  Today, I think of it as water under the bridge.     The main reason I decided to collect Kennedy Half Dollars is because in my eyes, JFK was a leader, not a follower. Another underlyingreason is that I didn't get a chance to collect any while growing up. I remember his iconic speeches, his family, and his death. He was theyoungest President to sit in the Oval Office. I would never had known the names of Eva Adams, Mint director, Gilroy Roberts and FrankGasparro, the designers of the coin and a multitude of other facts about this series. Now I have become aware of Charlie Dukes and willsoon be the owner of his signature on a label that includes a 1972 Kennedy Half Dollar that has been graded by NGC.    There you have it in a nutshell ! Until next time, STAY SAFE, Healthy, and Happy, because the country is experiencing another NationalCrisis. As they told me in the military, "What don't kill you will make you stronger"! HooAh ! CharlieB aka slybluenote