From New York Post:
Readers share their memories of
the Apollo 11 moon landing
The Post asked readers to write
in with their tales of where they were on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong set
foot on the moon. From Yankee Stadium to the Mets locker room, from summer jobs
to Vietnam, from foreign countries to new citizens, here’s a selection of some
of the memories — and how proud they were of the moment.
Ron Swoboda, outfielder, the 1969
Mets:
“We were trying to get back home
from Montreal at the All-Star break. In the All-Star game, you get three days
between series. We had played a pretty good series against the Expos. We won
the series two games to one. Normally, we would have gotten on our little
United charter plane, but we had mechanical problems. We didn’t take off and
went upstairs to the lounge. That’s where we saw Neil Armstrong take his giant
leap for mankind. The irony here is that Armstrong is laying footprints on the
moon and we can’t get back to New York. It was so captivating to all of us. “It
was pretty heavy. I was super interested. The whole notion of flight itself and
outer space captured my imagination. “Back in 1965, my rookie year, they took
us to the Houston Astrodome. It was pretty special. We got to meet the Mercury
guys. John Glenn. We were there as special guests. They practically had to
restrain me. I had a million questions. What it felt like to sit on some rock
and go blast! I’m claustrophobic. I just admired those guys. They were all
fighter pilots, all test pilots. As a baseball player, people think you’re hot
stuff. I looked at these people as a whole lot of levels above that.” (A few
days after the moonwalk, Swoboda remembers Ed Charles, who died in 2018,
saying, “If we can land on the moon, we can win the World Series.” And the Mets
did.)
Sherman Law, 62, Houston:
Sherman Law was a 12-year-old boy
attending the July session at Camp Champions in Marble Falls, Texas, along with
the sons of two of the Apollo 11 astronauts. “A couple of days before the moon
landing, a blank roll of adding-machine tape was circulated around the camp and
all the campers, counselors and camp personnel signed their names on it. The
camp went from 12 and 13 to first-graders. Each cabin had 12 boys. We all got
excited. This tape was then put into a capsule and sealed. A helicopter came a
day or so before liftoff and picked up the boys and took them to the airport to
travel to Florida for the launch. I heard the helicopter. I saw it fly
overhead. The capsule was given to one of their fathers (I think it was Buzz
Aldrin) and it was placed on the moon during one of the moonwalks. That’s what
they told us. We thought, ‘My name’s on the moon. I can’t wait.’ I’m just a
12-year-old kid. I don’t think they would have lied to us. This was before fake
news. People weren’t in the mode to mislead then.”
John Piechota, 77, Vesta, NY:
Piechota was an aviation-supply
officer with the US Navy in 1969. He set sail on the USS Hornet from Long
Beach, Calif., to prepare for the recovery of the Apollo 11 crew and capsule in
the Pacific Ocean. “We were there about three or four weeks before the landing,
about 1,500 miles south-southwest of Oahu, bringing on the crew from NASA as well
as ABC News crews,” Piechota, 77, tells The Post. “On that morning, President
Nixon was there. It was overcast that day. We never saw the parachutes. The
ship itself was over the horizon. That was the only disappointment. The seas
were rather rough that day. The frogmen had to have on their decontamination
suits before they opened the hatch of the capsule. One by one, the astronauts
were raised into a basket and into the helicopter. “They came out of their
Hazmat suits and walked onto the carrier deck and down to the isolation
chamber. Shortly after, we could see them through the window of the local
chamber. That was an exciting moment.”
Joseph Ciolino, 65, Manhattan:
“I was watching the moon landing
with my father, grandfather and cousin at my grandparents’ summer bungalow on
Staten Island. My clearest memory was of my grandfather (born in 1886) who came
to America in 1906, never learned to read or write, but loved America and had a
great life, saying that it was a joke, that it was impossible. “ ‘How do I know
they’re on the moon?’ he said with a thick Italian accent. ‘They could be on
Coney Island!’ ”
Joel Schonfeld, 72, Roslyn, NY:
“The summer of ’69 I was training
for the Army infantry in the red clay of Fort Polk, La. So hot at night that we
slept with wet towels on us. “When the time came to watch the moon landing my
spit &; polish 1st Sergeant announced ‘LIGHTS OUT.’ “Being the pushy New
Yorker that I was, I tried to reason with him . . . ‘but they are walking ON
THE MOON’ “His response . . . ‘I don’t care if they are (expletive) walking on
the roof!!!!’ “So, I missed in real time the event of the century. But at least
I was well rested!!!”
Maggie Willis, 77, Evans, Ga.:
“I was in my apartment in NYC and
my first son was only 1 year old. I sat him on my lap and we both watched it on
TV. I remember telling him that we were watching history and, even though he
would not remember it, I have never forgotten how it felt to see the American
flag on the surface of the moon. I was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the US
in 1960 when I was 19 years old, becoming a citizen in 1969. I remember how
proud I felt of my new country and knowing that my young son would be a
first-generation American.”
Thomas F. Quinn, 58, Long Grove,
Ill.:
“I was 8 years old at the time of
the landing. My parents had just bought a new refrigerator for our home in
Irving, Texas, and the box that fridge came in became my home for the next
week. I was determined to live like Neil Armstrong in that box — which was
really the Apollo capsule + the Luner lander all in one — in the middle of the
living room. Had my meals there, slept there. There was a Crayola command panel
in the front, provisions (Fritos) in the back and a window that I could watch
CBS from on the black and white in my living room. Thanks dad for not letting
them take the box away.”
Judith O’Brien, 60, St Louis,
Mo.:
“On the day Apollo 11 landed on
the moon, I was 10 years old and in Edinburgh, Scotland with my parents and
older brother. There was a pub attached to the guest house where we were
staying, so we gathered there to watch the landing. The place was packed with
locals, all speaking in hushed tones, watching the hazy images on the
television. My parents kept on being handed free cocktails, while my brother
and I were delighted with endless sodas. The bartender, who had said nothing,
suddenly blurted, ‘This is very unusual!’ My father said, ‘It’s amazing — there
are men on the moon!’ The bartender shook his head. ‘Nah, it’s not that.
Everyone here wants to have the honor of buying you Yanks a drink. With this
crowd that is very unusual!’ ”
Janet Obzut, 70, Sea Girt, NJ:
“It was a surreal night filled
with great anticipation, excitement and dread. I have relived the moment Neil
Armstrong walked on the moon at 10:56 p.m. many times in the past 50 years. My
fiancé, our families and I watched every moment knowing that as the clock
ticked down to America’s proud moment, it was getting closer to the next
morning which would have my husband-to-be, 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Obzut, on a
plane heading for a year of service in Vietnam. “It rained for 13 days straight
in New Jersey after that. My grandmother was actually convinced that the moon
landing had caused it. The fact that it didn’t rain everywhere meant nothing. I
was too busy crying so it didn’t really matter. The stars aligned in our favor,
and we will be married 49 years in August. Not one moon landing anniversary has
passed without me remembering my experience in an emotional whirlwind. I
probably will do that the rest of my life. “I was so proud of the
accomplishments of Apollo 11 and equally proud of our men and women who served
in Vietnam. The former group came back to 45 days of a ‘Giant Leap’ celebration
tour. The latter group had to hide from society’s scorn. God bless America. She
always seems to get things right . . . finally.”
Melanie Brown, 56, Village of
Sandbeach, Penn.:
“I was a six-year-old child in
Hershey, Penn., when we landed on the moon. I remember the excitement leading
up to the event. We learned about it in school from a little magazine called
‘The Weekly Reader.’ I vividly remember my Dad taking me out into the back
yard. It must have been pretty late on a summer night. We were standing and he
pointed up at the moon and told me we were there now. I remember being
surprised that I couldn’t see the astronauts. Dad had to explain how far away
it really is. This is an indelible memory for me. What it symbolized to a
6-year-old is that there is no limit too far or too hard for us to overcome.”
Jim Morris, 69, Manhattan:
“I was working at an ice cream
store, a summer job, the special ice cream flavor of the day/week was Lunar
Cheese Cake. That evening no one came in to purchase anything. I had a small
screen Black and White Sony TV with a picture fading in and out as I ate up the
flavors available on earth that night.”
Peter Borghesi, 66, Ortley Beach,
NJ:
“July 20th, 1969, I was 16 years
old. That afternoon, my uncle took my older brother and me to see the Yankees
play the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium. Of course, I knew about the
astronauts and their mission but I was more excited to see the Yankees play on
their home field. Bill Burbach was on the mound for the Yanks that afternoon.
The game was tied 2-2 in the 8th inning when the Senators loaded the bases with
one out. Things were not looking good for my team. Just then, the game was
halted as Bob Sheppard, long-time Yankees public address announcer, filled the
stadium with his unmistakable voice. ‘A special announcement . . . you will be
happy to know that Apollo 11 has landed safely on the moon.’ “The stadium crowd
cheered loudly for more than a minute. The opposing Senators stayed put on the
bases. This was followed by a moment of silence and the playing of ‘America the
Beautiful.’ When the game resumed, the next Senator batter hit into a double
play. The inning was over and the score remained tied. I was so happy that the
tempo of the inning was disrupted by the moon landing. The Yankees went on to
win the game 3-2 in 11 innings.”
Neil Alan Burns, 50, Columbus,
Ohio:
“Having been born on July 15th,
1969, I don’t remember anything of that day of course. But I am forever
connected to it because my parents, apparently enthralled by the mission, gave
me a first name of Neil, after Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11. For
good measure, they gave me a middle name of Alan, for Alan Shepard, the first
American to travel into space. Neil’s passing in 2012 was a melancholy day for
me.”
Stanislav Votruba, 56,
Morristown, NJ:
“On July 20, 1969, I was a small
boy who just celebrated his 6th birthday in Prague, Czechoslovakia. “Although
it was a communist country my father was a director of a major medical device
manufacturing company behind the Iron Curtain. We had privileges other did not:
telephone, car and a TV. It was black and white. We were amazed that the
government would broadcast the event. Family and friends crammed into a room
surrounding the small TV. The moon landing was a human endeavor. I was too
young to grasp the scope of such an accomplishment but I knew people landed on
the moon. From then on I wound look up at the moon in the sky and wonder what
it would be like to be there. “Shortly thereafter, we escaped/defected and came
to the USA and became citizens. On December 11, 1972, my family was shopping at
Two Guys (a retail store in NJ), Apollo 17 touched down on the moon. The store
had all the TVs on display locked to the news channel. Everyone stopped to
watch. “My father was so proud to be an American living now in the land of the
free.”
Bart Cincotta, 74, Port St Lucie,
Fla.
“I was getting married! They had
TVs throughout the reception hall. Everyone stopped dancing to watch them walk
on the moon.”
John Casey, 55, Manhattan:
“I had just turned the precocious
age of 5, and vividly recall sitting with my parents in our small home in
suburban Pittsburgh. . . . When the door of the capsule opened, and an anchor
proudly proclaimed that the astronauts were about to step ‘onto the front
porch.’ With amazement, and a tinge of shock, I turned to my parents and
excitedly asked, ‘Are they on our front porch?’ “I can’t remember if I was
disappointed or relieved — or both — to learn that the astronauts were not on
our doorstep.”
Billy Dorsey, 67, Huntersville,
NC:
“I’ll always remember coming home
from my girlfriend’s house in Brooklyn and watching it with my mom. Watching
her cry with such prideful tears is something that would always stay with me.
This from a woman who escaped Nazi Germany with my grandparents. We had such a
feeling of pride and love of our country. It didn’t matter what party you
belonged to. A simpler time and life that I’m afraid are gone forever.”
Jonathan Arak, 54, Upper West
Side:
“I was in the tub as a
four-year-old boy. My mother, Judy, wheeled the “Big TV” of the house (a 19”
Zenith black and white) into the bathroom, so I could watch the landing while I
bathed!”
Ralph Burch, 68, Kinderhook, NY:
“In June 1969, I had just
graduated from high school, upstate New York. Feeling great about our
accomplishments, my friends and I got tickets to see The Beach Boys at the
Washington Ave. Armory in Albany, the night of July 20, 1969. We had seats
close to the front and the Boys sounded and looked wonderful. “Partway through the concert, the
music stopped and the concert-goers listened to the first step on the moon
live. “On that special night, we went home high on America. Our America. A
giant leap for mankind. We were proud teenagers.”
Rocco Ciaburri, 61, Staten
Island:
“I was camping with my family in
Northern New Jersey at a place called Panther Lake. One of my friends’ father
knew that the reception was going to be bad so he prepared by climbing up a
very, very tall tree and put an antenna up there and then ran the cable to the
television. A LOT of the other campers found out what he had done and the next
thing you knew it was like 50 people had shown up. One of the fathers built a
fire and us kids started cooking hot dogs on sticks, making s’mores and having
a fantastic night.”
Vladimir Bass, 52, Brooklyn:
“I was only 2 years old, living
with my parents in Moscow, Russia, when the Eagle landed. Of course, I don’t
remember any of this, but my father told me about this later when I was old
enough to understand. And following the space race, I asked my father why WE
didn’t land on the moon. He said that this was very dangerous and the Soviet
government was unwilling to jeopardize cosmonauts’ lives. That was a silly
explanation since the Russians at that time simply did not have the technology
to repeat what the Americans did. Later, with great enthusiasm, I was following
Soyuz-Apollo space missions but I never stopped wondering how in the world
those three guys did it.”
Craig Schwab, 64, Glendale, NY:
“As a young boy, summers were
spent at my Aunt and Uncle’s house on Long Island. They had all the amenities
not found in our apartment in Queens. The huge backyard pool was home to our
daily festivities. During the landing on the moon in the afternoon, my Uncle
turned up the volume on the stereo and we all listened to the broadcast hooping
and hollering in celebration. By 10 pm, my brother and cousins were in a state
of childhood frenzy. We took turns trying to look at the moon through a pair of
binoculars. Every one of us swore we could see specks that convinced us we were
seeing everything happening live. “When Neil Armstrong left the capsule and
descended the steps to the lunar surface, the house was packed with friends and
relatives in awe of what we were witnessing. Some adults began crying as they
hugged one another. My brother and cousins along with kids from the block applauded
loudly. It was the first time in our lives except for New Year’s Eve we were
allowed to stay up past midnight. No one slept that night at all. We were in
the pool and staring up into the sky as if the world we knew had been forever
changed. It was the cosmic summer that ushered in the beginning of miracles in
baseball and the magic of music that became our lifetime soundtrack.”
Mike Johnson, 59, Memphis, Tenn.:
“We had been on a father-son
camping trip in the Adirondacks. I was 9 years old at the time. “It was
going-home day, home at the time was Williston Park on Long Island. We packed
all our gear into the station wagon and headed out. “I don’t recall what was
playing on the radio at the time, but there was one of those breaking news
alerts and regular programming cut to the news. “Sensing the magnitude of the
moment, my father pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road. Then the
moment and the famous words were uttered by Armstrong, I had chills and
goosebumps like I had never experienced. I glanced over at my father and
noticed a true first. Dad was a strong and proud man, rarely if ever showing
emotion. When I glanced over at Dad I noticed watery eyes and tears . . . and
at that very moment, I truly understood the magnitude of what just occurred.”
Wayne Douglas, 70, Del.
“I was in Vietnam in a bunker,
listening to a small transistor radio. It was the middle of the night and just
as the moon landing was to take place, we experienced a small-arms and mortar
attack which only lasted a few minutes. When it was over, [Walter] Cronkite
announced that there was a man on the moon. I remember thinking that the United
States had figured out how to put a man on the moon, but couldn’t figure out
how to extricate half a million American kids from Hell.”
^ I like hearing where people
were when something historical happened. I especially like to hear where people
around different parts of the world were and how they experienced the same
event. ^
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