1
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:23,310
I can recall quite vividly when the nine

2
00:00:28,740 --> 00:00:25,930
of us met for the first time we were

3
00:00:31,830 --> 00:00:28,750
told to go down to sign in under the

4
00:00:34,290 --> 00:00:31,840
name of max Peck and it turned out that

5
00:00:37,260 --> 00:00:34,300
all night of us signed in under the name

6
00:00:41,070 --> 00:00:37,270
of Max Peck then there was this young

7
00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:41,080
fellow that I said you know we

8
00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:42,610
introduced each other and he was a

9
00:00:47,220 --> 00:00:44,770
fellow buddy man Neil Armstrong and I

10
00:00:49,260 --> 00:00:47,230
said well I were you in the are you in

11
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:49,270
the Navy or the Air Force he says no I I

12
00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:53,650
work for NASA I thought oh boy we got a

13
00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:54,490
ringer here

14
00:00:58,860 --> 00:00:56,410
it's going to be a tough battle to get a

15
00:01:00,600 --> 00:00:58,870
flight off with Neil aboard but he

16
00:01:04,049 --> 00:01:00,610
turned out to be a team player a real

17
00:01:05,910 --> 00:01:04,059
great guy and as we know from you know

18
00:01:08,130 --> 00:01:05,920
the history of what went on after that

19
00:01:10,410 --> 00:01:08,140
after people had looked up for tens of

20
00:01:12,450 --> 00:01:10,420
thousands of years and wondered what was

21
00:01:14,219 --> 00:01:12,460
up there Neil was the first person to

22
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:14,229
ever make a footprint on some place

23
00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:17,410
other than Earth I told Neil once that

24
00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:19,570
I'm not a very jealous person but for

25
00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:21,250
him I'll make an exception on that one

26
00:01:26,899 --> 00:01:23,530
that first step on the moon was really

27
00:01:29,730 --> 00:01:26,909
something he always had car troubles and

28
00:01:34,020 --> 00:01:29,740
he drove out one time and had one of his

29
00:01:36,030 --> 00:01:34,030
cars and had quit working out at work so

30
00:01:38,039 --> 00:01:36,040
we got barred a tow rope from the

31
00:01:41,250 --> 00:01:38,049
maintenance people and I hooked it up to

32
00:01:43,289 --> 00:01:41,260
my station wagon and up to his car and I

33
00:01:46,530 --> 00:01:43,299
told him into Lancaster at about 70

34
00:01:49,980 --> 00:01:46,540
miles an hour I could see him shaking

35
00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:49,990
his fist at me know when to Politan we

36
00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:51,970
went to the moon to I I like to tell

37
00:01:57,420 --> 00:01:54,130
Neal and always did remind him that

38
00:01:59,219 --> 00:01:57,430
Apollo 10 we painted the white line in

39
00:02:00,840 --> 00:01:59,229
the sky so we wouldn't get lost so all

40
00:02:03,090 --> 00:02:00,850
he'd have to do is worry about that

41
00:02:04,469 --> 00:02:03,100
little thing about landed I got to see

42
00:02:07,350 --> 00:02:04,479
him at the Congressional Gold medal

43
00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:07,360
ceremony back in November we got him to

44
00:02:11,850 --> 00:02:09,310
a restaurant and he spent time with

45
00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:11,860
general Stafford Gene Cernan the Collins

46
00:02:15,930 --> 00:02:14,650
and they got the laugh and joke I mean I

47
00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:15,940
was sitting out in the car waiting for

48
00:02:19,289 --> 00:02:17,410
him so I could get him back to the hotel

49
00:02:21,509 --> 00:02:19,299
and I had to finally go in there because

50
00:02:23,039 --> 00:02:21,519
I saw the the rest were closing down and

51
00:02:24,330 --> 00:02:23,049
they were all in there just laughing and

52
00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:24,340
getting I had to go in and put my hands

53
00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:25,870
on my hips and say okay fellas it's time

54
00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:28,510
to go you know and Neil came out he's

55
00:02:30,610 --> 00:02:30,010
how we're gonna dance on the street and

56
00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:30,620
I said no we're not

57
00:02:35,470 --> 00:02:34,040
dances preach one I gotta gonna be no he

58
00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:35,480
always came away from a conversation

59
00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:39,530
with Neal thinking that he wants you to

60
00:02:45,550 --> 00:02:42,260
be the important person not himself in

61
00:02:47,350 --> 00:02:45,560
this in this encounter and so yeah it

62
00:02:55,930 --> 00:02:47,360
was a delight to talk to everybody like

63
00:02:59,369 --> 00:02:55,940
Neal he was quiet he was a man of many

64
00:02:59,379 --> 00:06:07,170
he was also a good friend

65
00:06:16,230 --> 00:06:12,590
I always think of yellow as a friend and

66
00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:16,240
it's just too bad he's gone but looked

67
00:06:21,750 --> 00:06:19,990
himself as being a a as being sort of

68
00:06:24,210 --> 00:06:21,760
out on the tip of the spear if you will

69
00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:24,220
and there were just a lot of thousands

70
00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:26,530
of people there were designers and

71
00:06:32,850 --> 00:06:30,400
engineers and and people who made made

72
00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:32,860
it possible for him to be out there

73
00:06:37,590 --> 00:06:35,680
doing what what he did and no one can

74
00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:37,600
take away anything from that but he saw

75
00:06:45,830 --> 00:06:41,530
himself as the results of the work of a

76
00:06:50,070 --> 00:06:45,840
great team of people Neal was sincere he

77
00:06:53,820 --> 00:06:50,080
always always felt and said that you

78
00:06:56,130 --> 00:06:53,830
know it's not about me it's about those

79
00:06:59,460 --> 00:06:56,140
other five hundred thousand people who

80
00:07:02,490 --> 00:06:59,470
made it possible for me to do what we

81
00:07:04,980 --> 00:07:02,500
did what he did you know he always

82
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:04,990
considered himself the tip of the arrow

83
00:07:14,470 --> 00:07:08,610
on the strengthen the bow was he an

84
00:07:19,870 --> 00:07:18,250
I often use Neil as a guide when things

85
00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:19,880
are getting a little bit crazy and I

86
00:07:22,510 --> 00:07:21,410
think okay we got to stick to the

87
00:07:24,690 --> 00:07:22,520
science we got to stick to the

88
00:07:27,220 --> 00:07:24,700
engineering that's the most important

89
00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:27,230
and try and avoid the hype and Neil was

90
00:07:30,730 --> 00:07:29,210
very good at avoiding the hype you know

91
00:07:32,860 --> 00:07:30,740
he was very much the straight shooter

92
00:07:34,270 --> 00:07:32,870
you know let's get the job done and he

93
00:07:36,940 --> 00:07:34,280
carried that into his professional life

94
00:07:40,650 --> 00:07:36,950
and as far as you know we could see from

95
00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:40,660
the outside his personal life it never

96
00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:43,970
was about him he I don't think I was

97
00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:47,110
even in his vocabulary it was about the

98
00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:51,050
team the mission the job that it had to

99
00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:53,810
be done and don't focus a attention on

100
00:08:00,400 --> 00:07:57,410
me focus it on on the product and in and

101
00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:00,410
the end accomplishments that you want to

102
00:08:06,070 --> 00:08:03,290
get out of this activity and it's sort

103
00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:06,080
of the old as long as everybody pulls on

104
00:08:09,970 --> 00:08:07,580
the rope in the same direction you know

105
00:08:13,420 --> 00:08:09,980
you can move mountains he was that kind

106
00:08:17,620 --> 00:08:13,430
of guy look at the Apollo 11 mission

107
00:08:20,590 --> 00:08:17,630
patch he was commander that mission and

108
00:08:23,550 --> 00:08:20,600
as as it went back then the astronauts

109
00:08:26,670 --> 00:08:23,560
designed their mission emblem and and

110
00:08:29,170 --> 00:08:26,680
there was one for every mission that

111
00:08:30,030 --> 00:08:29,180
particular mission patch look at it

112
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:30,040
closely

113
00:08:36,430 --> 00:08:34,250
there's no astronaut names on it why is

114
00:08:38,230 --> 00:08:36,440
there no astronaut names on it well the

115
00:08:40,540 --> 00:08:38,240
word at the time was because the

116
00:08:43,030 --> 00:08:40,550
commander of the mission who has 51% of

117
00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:43,040
the vote what goes on the patch didn't

118
00:08:49,930 --> 00:08:46,010
want the astronauts to get credit for

119
00:08:52,060 --> 00:08:49,940
our country being the first to land on

120
00:08:55,380 --> 00:08:52,070
the moon he wanted our nation to get

121
00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:55,390
credit for it so no names on the patch

122
00:09:00,700 --> 00:08:58,210
there's an eagle there of course

123
00:09:04,810 --> 00:09:00,710
representing the strength of our country

124
00:09:07,630 --> 00:09:04,820
but the eagle is not carrying arrows in

125
00:09:10,150 --> 00:09:07,640
a form of arrogance or military it's

126
00:09:14,590 --> 00:09:10,160
carrying an olive branch for peace and

127
00:09:20,770 --> 00:09:14,600
and to me that that kind of represents

128
00:09:25,750 --> 00:09:20,780
the personality of Neil in life it it

129
00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:25,760
seems like when we lose something God

130
00:09:31,150 --> 00:09:29,210
has a way of replacing it with something

131
00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:31,160
in and while there is no comparison

132
00:09:37,950 --> 00:09:34,250
whatsoever between curiosity and Neil

133
00:09:41,110 --> 00:09:37,960
Armstrong it is a second wave of

134
00:09:44,740 --> 00:09:41,120
explorers beyond low-earth orbit and so

135
00:09:47,410 --> 00:09:44,750
it did worry me that you know here's

136
00:09:49,930 --> 00:09:47,420
this this new Explorer and I sure hope I

137
00:09:56,470 --> 00:09:49,940
hope it's not replacing you know the

138
00:10:02,040 --> 00:09:56,480
icon so he just wanted to know that

139
00:10:05,170 --> 00:10:02,050
other kids could it could be inspired

140
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:05,180
not just only by his accomplishments but

141
00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:07,850
by the accomplishments of a country the

142
00:10:12,610 --> 00:10:09,830
impossible is possible all you got to do

143
00:10:14,500 --> 00:10:12,620
is go on and do it I'm Neil Armstrong I

144
00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:14,510
was the first human being on another

145
00:10:19,930 --> 00:10:17,450
planet this universe if I can do it

146
00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:19,940
why can't you do it now how's the 18

147
00:10:24,910 --> 00:10:22,850
year old a 16 year old a 25 year old

148
00:10:27,490 --> 00:10:24,920
going to argue with Neil Armstrong he

149
00:10:30,490 --> 00:10:27,500
wanted to inspire these young people to

150
00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:30,500
dream and his desire was to spire these

151
00:10:35,950 --> 00:10:33,890
dreamers to dream on to take us back

152
00:10:38,890 --> 00:10:35,960
again when no man has been before I

153
00:10:42,220 --> 00:10:38,900
think if it Neil would certainly find

154
00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:42,230
peace within himself to know and I think

155
00:10:48,250 --> 00:10:45,530
he did to know that he is deed inspire

156
00:10:50,110 --> 00:10:48,260
this generation I could see it in her

157
00:10:52,390 --> 00:10:50,120
eyes I could see it in their hearts by

158
00:10:56,190 --> 00:10:52,400
standing in front of these kids and

159
00:10:58,780 --> 00:10:56,200
saying hi I'm Neil Armstrong bingo

160
00:11:03,580 --> 00:10:58,790
there's nothing they can't do well Neil

161
00:11:06,940 --> 00:11:03,590
Armstrong and the early astronauts were

162
00:11:08,830 --> 00:11:06,950
really the pioneers of exploration that

163
00:11:11,590 --> 00:11:08,840
for the first time all of us could see

164
00:11:14,110 --> 00:11:11,600
it as it was happening when I think of

165
00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:14,120
something like Lewis and Clark you you

166
00:11:18,610 --> 00:11:15,890
took weeks to hear about what happened

167
00:11:20,950 --> 00:11:18,620
with exploration but for this generation

168
00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:20,960
of explorers we could experience it and

169
00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:24,170
we could see ourselves doing things that

170
00:11:28,570 --> 00:11:25,220
no one had ever

171
00:11:32,470 --> 00:11:28,580
before and I was eight years old

172
00:11:35,350 --> 00:11:32,480
watching Neil and Buzz walk on that the

173
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:35,360
moon the first time and it did seem to

174
00:11:38,950 --> 00:11:36,890
me at that point that I could do

175
00:11:41,050 --> 00:11:38,960
anything and I'm not sure if they hadn't

176
00:11:44,230 --> 00:11:41,060
done it I would have grown up thinking

177
00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:44,240
of I hope in some way that who he really

178
00:11:50,980 --> 00:11:48,170
was can be captured for people so that

179
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:50,990
future generations could profit from him

180
00:11:58,120 --> 00:11:55,010
because if we had a role model Neil was

181
00:12:00,580 --> 00:11:58,130
one of our best role models whether it

182
00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:00,590
was going into space or being an

183
00:12:05,770 --> 00:12:02,930
engineer or being a successful

184
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:05,780
businessman or anything like that that

185
00:12:13,650 --> 00:12:10,490
his approach of being quiet not assuming

186
00:12:16,780 --> 00:12:13,660
but accomplishing things I think that is

187
00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:16,790
something of his legacy that young

188
00:12:22,420 --> 00:12:20,090
people would appreciate we all lost a

189
00:12:25,930 --> 00:12:22,430
piece of ourselves today all of us who

190
00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:25,940
consider ourselves explorers I've often

191
00:12:32,980 --> 00:12:30,730
wondered if during these passing years

192
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:32,990
when Neil looked up at the beautiful

193
00:12:42,070 --> 00:12:38,810
moon he thought hmm been there done that

194
00:12:45,010 --> 00:12:42,080
and I believe God sent Neil here

195
00:12:47,260 --> 00:12:45,020
to do what he needed to do and once his

196
00:12:49,630 --> 00:12:47,270
assignment was up then God called him