What a time to grow up! I was born only a few days before Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. I first remember running in my back yard from SNJs landing at Sherman field, F-9F Cougars of the Blue Angels practicing overhead, the International Geophysical Year, Sputnik (we named our CJ-2 Jeep Sputnik because it was "out of this world), being disappointed watching, on TV, the Navy Vanguard rocket blowing up (rockets blowing up was quite common in those days), watching Explorer successfully launching, going outside and watching Echo flying over the head in the night sky, Shepard's first flight, John Glenn going around the earth. In July, 1969, while at AF OTS, Lackland AFB, I watch man step on moon. I was a witness to an amazing period of history. Because of all these things, I lived a life as an AF pilot and and an aerospace engineer. John Glenn was a wonderful example of an American Hero. My heart still aches for the three Apollo astronauts that paid the ultimate price, all heroes too.