On January 19 , Clinton visited the Arlington Cemetery to visit the graves of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy . The visit was not on Clinton 's schedule , and only a small group of reporters and photographers was allowed to witness the gathering from 150 yards away . After kneeling at the graveside for a few moments , the Clintons each placed a white rose on the grave of Robert Kennedy , who was shot June 5 , 1968 , while campaigning for the presidency . Clinton then walked alone to John F. Kennedy 's grave and placed another white rose on the marker and knelt for several seconds before the grave . Clinton had met President Kennedy briefly as a teenager in 1963 , and credits that encounter with leading him to enter public service
shot June 5 , 1968
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
First inauguration of Bill Clinton