True American Pride - Real Things to Celebrate About This Nation (#16)
THE U.S. LANDS THE 1ST MAN ON THE MOON
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." (Neil Armstrong, US astronaut July 20 1969)
On my 16th day of things American to Be Truly Proud of I think back to a summer Sunday 55 years ago. I remember sitting with my siblings and cousins on the floor of our aunt's house in Eugene on a visit and watching incredible black and white images flicker in front of me. What was I watching? The same thing that 650 million people all around the world were watching at the same time at that very moment. We were watching history. We were watching something that almost seemed unreal. We were watching the 1st human being stepping on a planetary surface other than Earth.
Last night Deborah and I were watching the episode from Season 3 of “The Crown” when the British royal family was watching the very same event, and I could remember being as transfixed as Prince Phillip was (brilliant acting by Tobias Menzie)!
The Apollo 11 space flight and landing on the moon was truly an incredible feat of engineering, ingenuity, and courage. From their liftoff on July 16 1969 from Cape Kennedy FLA to their splashdown return into the Pacific Ocean on July 24th, the 3 U.S. astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins) captured the attention of all of us. I'll never forget the feeling of watching history unfold before my very eyes as I watched them. And I remember the pride in knowing that America was the 1st nation to do this, and to this day the only nation to have a man walk on the surface of the moon.
Neil Armstrong on the moon and his footprint left there.
The American space program (NASA) was the epitome of how inventive and resourceful this country could be. This resourcefulness could be seen in both the grand achievements (like Apollo 11), as well as the brave ingenuity that was needed in the face of near catastrophes (like Apollo 13). Americans were admired for their successes, and when we failed, leaders honestly accepted responsibility and worked to do better. I wish that were true of the people who say they lead this country today. It should be.
This country has a long history of being a leader and much to be proud of. Again, may we return to these kind of nobler endeavors and honest accountability. As John F. Kennedy said in first proposing this mission in 1962:
"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too."