Where Were You in 1969?
Or more specifically where were you when Neil Armstrong made his spectacular descent?
I honestly can't remember but as good friend Tony Goudie tells me it was 4AM in Bricket Wood, England where we were attending Ambassador College UK, I was probably like him – fast asleep.
However – I distinctly remember faculty member John Portune hooking up a TV set in the dining room for breakfast that day and we watched as the astronauts did their rock collecting on the moon.
I also remember British journalists speaking of WHO-STON rather than "Houston" since there is a famous "Euston" station in London. Funny.
That day July 21, 1969 after breakfast about 30 of us students drove by bus to Clacton-on-Sea where a hospitable British family (the Drowns) hosted us at the beach. Yes, they have nice beaches especially in Essex.
My other "moon stories" are perhaps more relevant. In 1974 I heard Buzz Aldrin lecture the Canadian Mental Health Association in Regina, Saskatchewan on the subject of his alcoholism after his lunar adventure. He wrote a best-seller titled "Return to Earth" about his suffering from cosmic let-down ("the melancholy of all things done") upon his return.
We chatted briefly and he asnwered my question about what a cool customer Neil Armstrong was. Later I learned Armstrong had only about 13 seconds of fuel left when he finally landed the module "Eagle."
That same source (the book "Moon Shot") told me Aldrin had actually done a brief Communion on the moon after they landed. This I have written about 2-3 times in church publications and spoken about often. A friend of mine met Buzz at LAX and confirmed the story.
And that's my moon stories.
Betcha won't hear about Aldrin's communion service anywhere else this week!