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.

Students at Ambassador College, Bricket Wood, England. Click photo to enlarge.

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!