Dead Page: Moon Man

NEIL ARMSTRONG, August 25th.

This man would have been notable even without the famous trip.  He was a pilot flying missions during the Korean War and in both the Gemini and Apollo space programs.

July 20, 1969, I was in Goldsboro, North Carolina, watching the grainy black and white images at friend Ronnie's house and thinking this is nothing short of amazing. I remember walking outside and looking at the Moon and thinking, "Wow, there is a man getting ready to step onto it."

Everyone in the house was watching.

Then, we heard "Houston, Tranquility Base here.  The Eagle has landed."  WOW!!

Then, "I'm going to step off the LEM now."  That would be the lunar module.  DOUBLE WOW!!

At 2:56 UTC (?), it was around 9 PM in Goldsboro, those even more famous words, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."  WOWWWW!!  Couldn't have said it better myself, even if there is some question of whether there was an "a" before man.

Either way, we know what you were saying.

And, then, talk about your man who always tried to aoid the spotlight.

Whenever I look at the Moon, I will think about you.

Thanks.