Godspeed John Glenn

I remember watching the first space launch in school.

President John F Kennedy had challenged America to travel to the moon in the next ten years. Can do America was all on board.

All school activities stopped and a portable Black and White TV from someones home was tuned into any of the local broadcast TV stations. All the affiliates carried the launch. Portable Television was the current rage of the day eliminating the cumbersome wood box. Transistors and solid state technology allowed for light weight and reliability. Color TV wasn't affordable to most Americans

We had 4 channels in our area. The channel selected was based entirely upon reception in your area. Rain was always a problem back in the sixties. Neighbors often discussed programming and reception issues over the backyard fence.

Yuri Gargarin from the USSR had already been in space and completed Earth Orbit a month earlier.

Our first man in space was Allan B Shepard. He was selected from seven Mercury Astronauts. On May 5. 1961 Shepard entered the USA into the space race. Shepard piloted Freedom 7 in sub orbital flight for 15 minutes before splashdown 300 miles in the Atlantic Ocean.

Marking only 57 years since Wilbur and Orville Wright flew 800 ft in 59 seconds at Kitty Hawk, NC

The Mercury Programs historic flight will be forever remembered not for it's flight achievement but for the words of Astronaut Allan B Shepard's prayer. Known around the globe today as simply "Shepard's Prayer" or God please don't let me fuck this up! The focus on Shepard's Freedom 7 ship was it had been built by America's lowest bidders. Shepard would later walk on the moon in similar equipment.

In May 1961 the days would have been hot in Indianapolis,In. Schools in IPS district did not have Air Conditioning nor did most homes. Attention in May was focused on the upcoming Memorial Day Classic at The Indianapolis 500 mile race, eminent summer vacation and public pool openings.

The first and last days of school were brutally hot. So miserable teachers would often suspend academics turn the lights off and open the windows and pray for a breeze. Window shakers were becoming more common. Supermarkets and Movie Theaters all had the AC.

We had a large window fan in our home. When it got real hot we went in the basement. We had moved into our house in 1959 and house, schools and shopping center were all new. Crime was rare and we only saw police or firemen in 4th of July Parades. Students walked to neighborhood schools without fear. Chewing gum in school was considered insubordinate behavior and quick punishment was assured.

From 1959 until I moved to my own apartment in 1970 did we ever lock a door. Not the front door, not the back door, not on vacation. Neighbors would check on your house for you. They had your back and you had there's. Very American Symbol of our Union. Today we don't know our neighbors and just as well because they probably are illegal and speak no English. They Habla or something.

Gus Grissom would be the next American in space. His ship Liberty Bell 7 would repeat Shepard's sub orbital flight July 21, 1961 Grissom would latter die in a terrible fire as America led the world in Manned Space Flights

John Glenn would be the first American to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962. You can bet it was bitter cold in February with snow on the ground.

Glenn made three Earth orbits 4 hours 55 minutes in space, wow! The countdown to blastoff included the inspirational words in cadence from Mission Commander Chris Kraft "Godspeed John Glenn" . It was then apparent all associated with the NASA space program were all extraordinary people achieving extraordinary goals.

John Glenn a veteran US Marine Pilot of World War 2 and Korea would represent the State of Ohio as a US Senator and fly again at age 77 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery STS-95 October 29, 1998. Some people just never give enough.

In November of 1963 the Black and White Portable TV would be set up again as American School Children witnessed the live funeral coverage of America's 35 th President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Kennedy was the victim of lone assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas,Tx.

School children in the day practiced regular atomic blast drills, kneeling in hallways with your hands covering your head. We kept canned goods and water for drinking in bleach containers in our basement. Some people built fallout shelters in their backyards, I'm not clear to this day why we practiced this futile behavior.

On July 20,1969 Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins landed Lunar Module Eagle landing craft at The Sea of Tranquility, US, Moon. No zip code is available. The Eagle has landed is a phrase used often today to signal victory.

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind was transmitted back to Earth from Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the lunar surface. The entire crew returned safely back to Earth as people from around the world cheered the achievement.

America had astonished the world in war production during World War 2. Now they captured world attention again in peace putting men on the Moon. In 1969 there was little that America did not rank as Number One "Uno". The very same people born in the USA 1920's who decimated Germany and Japan as twenty year olds were now going to the Moon in their forties.

The Cold War was raging August 9, 1974 as the first American President Richard Nixon 37 resigned under pressures of eminent impeachment. Nixon's Vice President Spiro Agnew had already resigned from dirty dealings as Governor of Maryland. This twist of events placed Jerry Ford 38th President as the only American President to never receive a single vote.

Ronald Wilson Reagan 40th President will be remembered always as a great American Leader, I and many like myself disagreed with Reagan's domestic policies. I voted for the man twice. The long term affects of Reaganomics has had a devastating affect on the American Middle Class. Regardless, you cannot deny Reagan's role as a leader. On June 12, 1987 at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin he spoke. Mr Gorbachev, if you seek peace. "Tear Down This Wall". The Wall came down. There are two things in my life that I believed could not happen: one is the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the other was General Motors Bankruptcy.
American President Ronald Wilson Reagan 40 had led America to absolute victory in The Cold War. Not bad for an actor or republican either. Vietnam might have been a lost battle but, we won the war!!!

This week Space Shuttle Atlantis took to the heavens for the last time. I have witnessed the shuttle take off twice. One daytime and once at night. When the Shuttle Launches it rattles the Continental Shelf for a hundred miles. Residents of nearby Titusville, Fl can attest the Saturn 5 rocket would break windows all over town for trips to the Moon. Also one Shuttle landing complete with the twin sonic booms. You can't watch these events and not become a Patriot. An overwhelming feeling of intense pride in America consumes your soul starting at the knees and travels up you spine that makes your scalp crawl.

This time I watched on TV as I did in 1961. This time it was bittersweet as I focused more upon where we've been rather than where we go next.

America has lost her way. We cling to the past trying to save GM and Fiat manufacturing. Afraid to let go of the life and prosperity it once brought to our nation. The fear of letting go of a past so sweet is denying us of our future. 100 year old technology to build a future is a loosing proposition, Thousands of huge Corporation have come and gone in my life. The people who won World War 2 , The Cold War and landed men on the Moon had no bailouts or supported 2big2fail. They accepted their losses and started over until they got it right.

We have waved the Flag as we claimed false supremacy for forty years. We slipped from the number one spot across the board in every category. We refuse to accept that Global Finance on Wall Street has been poison for us and the rest of the worlds economy. We reward failure and invest in loosing in Congressional Denial. The poverty rate is the highest in American history and shares space with uncontrolled borders and obscene unemployment. All the pundits point to a 12000 DOW Jones as proof we are great. We are only great when the Dow Jones represents all Americans and not Banksters. Once you accept 2big2fail you must accept the 2big2fail Casino Bankers also corrupt the Stock Markets with cash from the Federal Reserve. Remember in 2big2fail they can't lose money, only win and award bonuses to themselves.

Everything that made America great in 1970 is still here. The only thing that changed is our views of how best to apply them.....