Veterans Day Buzz...Part 1

Veterans Day is something like Columbus Day. If you work for the government, go to school or are, like me, actually a veteran, it’s something you observe and maybe get the day off. For everyone else it’s pretty much business as usual. A friend reminded me that it started out as Armistice Day marking the end of World War I when the Germans signed the Armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. This time we can add the eleventh year and I hope it’s lucky.

Recognition for veterans is reason enough for a holiday and I always try to give it some thought. Today, I’m thinking about a special veteran who I was very fortunate to meet recently. He flew combat missions in Korea as a fighter pilot and was decorated for his valor. However, he received a higher calling…a much higher calling…in fact, I can’t think of anyone who has been called higher than Buzz Aldrin, who walked on the moon for our country.

The 21 hours that he and his colleague, Neil Armstrong, spent on the lunar surface in 1969 were a life-changer. And Buzz is quick to point out that since Neil was first out of the Eagle Lander, he shot most of the pictures. So those images that are indelible in our minds, including the American Flag standing out proudly on the landscape are pictures of Buzz Aldrin.

Colonel Aldrin (I only heard him called that one time. He officially changed his name to Buzz some time ago) was here in Seattle to help the Space Needle launch its Space Race 2012 program marking its 50^th Anniversary by sending an average person into space. (We received over one billion media impressions all over the world.) Buzz’s presence caused quite a stir during the two days he was here and I was fortunate to be asked to do some “blocking and tackling” for him when he was besieged by the media.

He was recognized everywhere. When we walked down the street to find a good location for the Associated Press to shoot a photo, “Ride the Ducks” came rolling by with the passengers chanting “Go Buzz Go”. It made him smile and the driver should have received a good tip for recognizing him from a moving vehicle.

When I found out we were having dinner in the Sky City restaurant at the Needle, I set one clear objective. The only menu item left from the World’s Fair is a dessert now called the “Lunar Orbiter”. I simply had to see a person who walked on the moon encounter the steaming ice cream delight. When it was delivered, Buzz’s eyes opened wide and a great grin spread across his face. He loved it and the photo I quickly snapped captures it pretty well.

His dinner conversation was mind-boggling. He’s got a remarkable resume (check it out atwww.buzzaldrin.com ) and his non-stop dialogue flew over the heads of most space enthusiasts and even some astronautical engineers. Being a watch nut, I tried to get him talking about the huge timepiece on his wrist but he was into the intricacies of chronometers and mechanisms so quickly my eyes were whirling around in my head. I finally changed the subject to “Dancing with the Stars”. He said he did it for the “fighter pilots out there.” He had some fun but was glad when it was over.

SEE PART 2...TOO MUCH NEWS TO FIT!!