USA

Presidents Obama, Clinton to Pay Tribute to JFK

This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy upon their arrival at Dallas Airport shortly before President Kennedy was assassinated.

President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy by laying a wreath near his grave site on Wednesday.

First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will take part in the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington.

It will be part of a week of events remembering the nation's 35th president, assassinated at the age of 46.

The White House says Obama will also pay tribute to the slain president at a Wednesday dinner honoring the 2013 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The medal is the highest U.S. civilian award. The annual awards were initiated by Kennedy.

This year's recipients include former President Clinton, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and the late Sally Ride, an astronaut.

Kennedy, a popular U.S. president, was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. His abrupt and violent death was one of the most traumatic events in U.S. history.

Investigators said Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. However, conspiracy theories have persisted over the years.