August 25, 2012

"One small step for man..

Armstrong in a post-EVA photo
..a giant leap for mankind".

Neil Armstrong has passed away at 82. Of course, you will know him as the first man to set foot on the moon and utter the immortal words above. He was in the vanguard of brave Americans who took those first halting, tenuous yet incredible steps to the heavens; the trailblazers and pathfinders for a proud America and proud world that reveled in the accomplishments and triumphs of man.

I sit in the quiet of my room typing these words and remembering that day so many years ago when I and a master sergeant from Tennessee -- I had drawn OD (Officer of the Day) and he CQ (Charge of Quarters) duty at Offutt AFB in Nebraska -- watched on my little 9-inch TV on that Sunday afternoon in July as astronaut Armstrong set foot on the moon's surface for the first time.

These memories of that great feat come flooding back to me and tears begin to well up. Of course, the world is emptier without Neil Armstong.

Now, one of our heroes who helped to unlock so many mysteries of space travel and our neighboring moon is, himself, privy to God’s innermost secrets.

God bless you and keep you in his arms, sir! You and your brethren made us proud!

-30-

No comments:

Post a Comment