CAMELOT 22 November 1963… The day Camelot came to an end… Do you remember where you were; and what you were doing, when Walter Cronkite tearfully reported of JFK’s assassination? That is one version of two questions with a where were you; what were you doing type scenario; that each of us has a personal answer. The other question: where were you and what were you doing when man landed on the moon? Actually left a footprint somewhere; not on Earth? Both versions of that question lead back to one man. John Fitzgerald Kennedy; the 35th President of the United States… I was a wee laddie, myself; being born in 1961. I learned about JFK; his controversial election-and his tragic demise in school. He was murdered just three days after my second birthday. I don’t know how the population feels about his Presidency; but I believe him to be respected and well thought of. The population was skeptical of this Irish Catholic; who was young and handsome, with a strikingly beautiful wife and two children that were cute as buttons. Admittedly; as a man, he had his faults… so do I. As a President; he governed with empathy, with an eye focused on the future of our Nation. And the challenge he leveled to the Country; to send a man to the surface of the moon, and return him safely to terra firma, gave birth to NASA and launched our space program. He didn’t live to see his dream become reality… This year is the 50 year anniversary of JFK’s death. My home state of Alabama benefitted from this man; and his challenge. Components of the huge Saturn V rocket were manufactured at Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville. The boost to our economy was evident. Werner Von Braun; once the man behind Hitler’s feared V-1 and V-2 rockets lived in Huntsville after WWII. He was instrumental in the USA being the first to reach the moon. A Civic Center in the Rocket City is named in his honor. How’s that for irony…? I lived in Huntsville for a short period of time; and had to drive past the Space and Rocket Center, on my way to and from work. The sight of that massive Saturn V rocket; standing gigantically against the horizon, never failed to strike me with awe... We did it… Somehow; with no more computing power than the average laptop, we sent humans to the surface of another celestial body and returned them safely to our atmosphere… One of our defining moments; one of many, of our greatest achievements… I can remember the pride I felt; as a fascinated kid of eight… Do you? People did that… the concept boggles the mind; in this 21st century world. Each time we turn on an ipad, a smart phone, or laptop; we have as much capability to launch a Redstone rocket as those intrepid explorers had back in 1969… If engineers today were presented with the same challenge; under the same limitations… would they be able to deliver within the allotted time-frame…? From the concept- utilizing the knowledge and education of the era-to the huge task of starting it all from scratch… complete with the testing, the set-backs; and triumph, all within a ten-year window. It’s scary just toying with the thought. This 22nd of November; take a moment to remember the lost Prince of Camelot, the dreams he had for our Country, and the legacy he left behind… Through the pursuit of his dream; wisdom was gained, technology was created, businesses and research parks started up… jobs were abundant… families were raised; because one could make a career out of space exploration, back when… Careers mostly gone, now… Our space travel nowadays consists of bumming a ride to the space station with the next thing blastin off… while JFK’s enduring legacy quietly fades away… Some dreams die because you lose heart… And some dreams die because the cost is too great… in lives lost; as well as budgets being balanced… From the Launchpad fire that claimed the 3 Apollo astronauts; to the shuttle disasters… many courageous men and women were lost. Achievement paid in blood by the ones who rose to the calling. But for that one moment in time; in that grainy, flickering black-and-white transmission showing the surface of the moon growing closer… The shadows of the Lunar module’s legs crawling across the pock-marked crust of another globe… soon to touch down; with the historic slo-mo ladder egress and famous phrase… later to have the Stars and Stripes planted on its alien hide with a salute… This young kid was proud of America’s accomplishment. Days later; when the big Hershey kiss with the 3 parachutes splashed down, and the trio of astronauts emerged safe and sound… the young kid was happy. We made JFK’s dream come true. “We choose to go to the moon and do the other things; not because they are easy, but because they are hard…” JFK said that… Rice University; September 1962. We met the task, Mr. President…and you are truly missed. I will be thinking of you on this 22nd of November... It is one small thought for man… One giant loss for mankind… BUD ALLEN
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 22:31:20 +0000
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