If you are a Baby Boomer, you know where you were the day Neil Armstrong took that first step on the moon. He was a hero to our generation. I don't think that kids today can appreciate what those astronauts really did. When they said "The Right Stuff"... We knew exactly what that meant. The combination of Discipline, Hard Work, and Guts..this is "The Right Stuff".
My grandmother was born in 1899. When she moved to Oklahoma from Arkansas with her family, she was only 2. They came here in a wagon and a big part of the miles were made on foot. There wasn't a telephone and electricity was only in the homes of the very rich. Air Planes were invented in 1903. In 1962 the first man to orbit the earth in a space ship was John Glen.NASA continued to explore space In 1988 when she died, We returned to space in Discovery after a 2 year hiatus that was necessary after the Challenger disaster. My mother was born in 1939 and she didn't have electricity or even indoor plumbing. In the year 1957 I was born. This was during the baby boom. Televisions were becoming more popular. In 1964 my baby brother was born and we got our first color television. After they landed on the moon the first time, it became the new normal. My generation was taught anything was possible. If you could imagine it, you could make it happen.
The television I watched Neil and Buzz make history on, was a small black and white with rabbit ears. We had foil on the tips of the antenna. I am sure that even on that day, we were standing moving them to help get a better picture. On that day in July, we held our breaths and watched. All the young boys and men and most women, wishing that we were with him as he took his step
Rest in Peace Neil Armstrong. You have been to where most men only dream. You and your crew were brave enough to bring to us more than just a few photos and moon rocks. You brought us possibilities and hope that our future depends on not only what we know, but what we can dream. I hope our children learn that all of the things that they take for granted every day had a price. A dream cannot be realized by just wishing for it. It takes your heart, soul and all of it together "The Right Stuff".
No comments:
Post a Comment