Readers recall Apollo 11 mission
Reader recollections
Here's what some of our readersremember about the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon:
"I was on an extended tour of Europe that summer, and we were in Rome. It was almost 100 degrees, and I was feeling a bit woozy from the heat. Two very kind Italians offered me water and a gelati. They did not speak English, and my Italian was almost nonexistent. But while I sat there, they talked on and on about "luna," gesturing wildly upward. They were as excited as I was. Later that night, we joined a large number of American college students in a very small restaurant to listen to the broadcast of the landing. Wine flowed freely that night!"
-- Jane Stafford, Richmond
"My memories of the moon landing include my proposal of marriage to my wife. We had been dating for a year, and I wanted to propose to her but was anxious about the commitment. I've always been keenly interested in the space program. Seeing Neil Armstrong step down the ladder onto the moon and say those words inspired me to go ahead and ask her (quietly) right there, with the TV broadcasting and a room full of people. She said yes, or words to that effect, and in September we will celebrate 40 happy years together. Maybe she was as overwhelmed by the moment as I was. Whatever, I've always thought of myself as being extremely lucky that she agreed."-- George Laux, Henrico
"My family lived in Wilmington, Del., at the time. We were so excited and awed about the Apollo mission and how much our country had managed to complete. To even imagine going to the moon was unbelievable, and actually having one of our brave astronauts set foot on it was mind-blowing. We kept our two oldest children up to watch the historic event. The footage was a little fuzzy, and everything appeared to be in slow motion. And then the big moment arrived! Neil Armstrong began to descend the ladder from the lunar module, and when he stepped onto the moon's surface, I was praying he wouldn't sink in or that something else horrible would happen to him. And then the scratchy communication was heard that sent our hearts soaring -- 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' I sat there enthralled with admiration for this brave American, tears of joy in my eyes for the sheer accomplishment of such an endeavor, and prayers in my heart for their safe return to our wonderful country. I was never so proud of being an American as I was that night."-- Barbara Gestwick, Richmond
"My son was born in April 1969. I remember sitting in the middle of the living room floor with him in my lap watching the landing, tears running down my face. I knew he wouldn't remember it, but I wanted him to be able to say he 'saw' it on TV."-- Edie Bennett, Glen Allen
"One moonlit night in the summer of 1965, my father, J.W. Waldrop of Amelia County, and my brother, John E. Waldrop, were sitting in chairs on the front lawn looking up in the sky. My brother had been in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years as a radio operator. He told my father that someday, man was going to the moon. My father, who was 76 years old, said, 'Son, don't go back to your air base and tell anybody that,'cause they might discharge you for saying such a thing.' Three months later, my father passed on. Four years later, man walked on the moon. Our only regret was that our father did not live to see it happen."-- Eunice Somerville, Richmond
"I have vivid memories of the moment man first stepped on the moon and of all the Apollo missions because my father, Dr. Robert Leonard, was one of the engineers who got those men to the moon. Because of his work at NASA Langley, I grew up with the space program all around me. . . . We all stayed up into the wee hours in the morning watching Walter Cronkite broadcast the moonwalk on our small black-and-white TV. Later, after I was in college, we'd all have the excitement of going to the Kennedy Space Center with other Langley engineers and families to see the Apollo 17 night launch. I feel so lucky to have had such a close connection to this great accomplishment. My dad, the most humble of men, never spoke much about himself, but I did hear him say that he was fortunate to have been an engineer during such an exciting time."-- Susan Leonard Little, Richmond
"I had the good fortune to be a part of the launch crew of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. At the time, I was employed by North American Rockwell as a design/test engineer in the engine group of the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket at Cape Kennedy Launch Center, Florida. . . . On launch day, I manned one of the consoles in one of several launch control centers. Being a functioning, contributing member of this endeavor, meeting and working with the astronauts and other distinguished people, and witnessing the launching and feeling the chest-pounding pulsations at liftoff is a thrill beyond belief. To see it go after so much work and effort by so many is a memory ingrained deep in my mind forever."-- Gil Davis Jr., Richmond
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