No Dream Is Too High - Buzz Aldrin Page 0,43
to Earth. For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one—one in their pride in what you have done and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” Neil said into his helmet microphone, his words transmitted back to Earth and around the globe. “It is a great honor and privilege for us to be here representing not only the United States, but men of peaceable nations, men with an interest and a curiosity, and men with a vision for the future. It is an honor for us to be able to participate here today.”
We talked briefly with the president, and then Neil and I went back to work. Hearing from our president while we were on the lunar surface was a special surprise, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to pay for that phone call!
OF COURSE, NOT EVERYBODY ON EARTH was as excited about our achievement as was President Nixon. It was a time in our nation’s history when patriotism was out of style for certain factions. But doing the right thing means that you cannot allow the foolish or ignorant ideas, actions, or attitudes of others to deter you from your destiny or force you off your determined path. So the response of a few protestors didn’t matter to me.
After landing on the Moon, Neil, Mike, and I were kept in quarantine for 21 days so doctors and scientists could study us, just in case we brought back some unusual germs from our time in space. As silly as it seems now, there was serious concern that we might contract something alien that could affect life on Earth. That may seem far-fetched, but keep in mind that travelers from Hawaii to California are not permitted to transport certain fruits and flowers from the islands to the mainland, because certain fruit flies could devastate California’s crops. Because nobody had ever returned from another celestial body, scientists did not want to take any chances of us transporting something that could be deadly to life on Earth.
When we finally completed our quarantine, my fellow Apollo 11 astronauts and I were treated to a fabulous ticker tape parade in New York. Neil, Mike, and I were doused with what seemed like a blizzard of confetti as our motorcade slowly rolled up Wall Street to Broadway and on to City Hall and the United Nations Building with thousands of people waving, reaching out to us, and cheering in congratulations as we went. When I saw a troop of Boy Scouts in front of us, each one carrying an American flag, it evoked within me an overwhelming sense of patriotism and hope for our future. Then, that same day, we were off to Chicago, where we experienced a similar parade and reception. Mayor Richard J. Daley presented us with a special bowl commemorating our accomplishments. The bowl was stolen before we left town.
Then it was on to Los Angeles where a few hours later, Neil, Mike, and I received another huge reception and were treated like heroes. To close out the long day, we attended a celebration banquet with President Nixon and about 3,000 of his closest friends. In addition to my wife and children, my father attended the event and looked on, beaming, as the president of the United States presented Neil, Mike, and me each with a Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in our nation.
Although each of us had spoken briefly at the receptions and celebrations, our first public speaking engagement was on the campus of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where we were to receive the Père Marquette Discovery Award. We were not prepared for the reception we received. As Neil, Mike, and I made our way from the limousines to the building in which we were to speak, disgruntled students protesting something—I never did find out what—lined the sidewalks and attempted to pelt us with eggs! Fortunately, we were too far away for the eggs to hit their targets, but it was a rude awakening to realize that not everyone was thrilled that we had successfully gone to the Moon and returned to Earth.
To me it was sad that those students were so caught up in their political agendas that they could not support an unprecedented accomplishment that opened new horizons for all humans.
WHEN NEIL ARMSTRONG AND I planted the first American flag on the Moon—no easy feat getting