50 years ago, late at night, I was a junior reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer*, sitting on blankets at the Franklin Institute breathlessly watching a black and white TV set. The picture was grainy, the action somewhat jerky, but the message was clear as day. We – our astronauts – were about to step out on the moon, that bright orb in the sky. We, as Americans, said we were going to do it – and we did.
There will be lots written today and tomorrow about the science, the bravery, (the expense!), the hurdles, the obstacles, but what I remember is the emotion of all the high school students and their teachers. They all supported the effort. They were so proud of what their country accomplished. In recent days, papers all over the country have carried remembrances of those involved in getting man to the moon. One remembrance was an African-American man who spent years pouring the concrete for the facility that made the rocket. He was quoted saying that he felt he was part of something greater than himself. That’s always been the American promise, and it still is today. Let’s remember that.
The moonshot was great, but it was only a small step for mankind along our American journey.
*See below the original newspaper clipping of Merrie's 1969 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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