The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.

Local News

September 5, 2012

Editorial: Farewell

Armstrong epitomized the life of a true American hero

Neil Armstrong was buried last week in Ohio. He passed away last month at the age of 82.

Unless you’re 50 or older you may not have a great deal of knowledge or background on Neil Armstrong other than to know he was the first human to step on the moon.

If you are old enough to remember July 20, 1969, when Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface, you can’t help but have that black-and-white picture etched in your memory along with his famous words, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”

It was Armstrong’s second and last spaceflight. But it certainly didn’t tell anywhere near all of his story.

Yes, Armstrong was an astronaut. He was also an Eagle Scout, Naval officer, Korean War veteran, aerospace engineer, experimental research test pilot and university professor.

He was one of the few elite pilots chosen to fly high speed, high altitude jets as the United States raced to develop space technology in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His peers often praised his knowledge as an engineer.

Thrust into the national limelight by the Apollo 11 space mission to the moon, Armstrong was never a glory seeker or attention-getter even though he easily could have been.

He was a humble, hard-working and relatively quiet boy and man — dedicated to his country and his profession.

“Hero” is a term that has become loosely used in our society with young kids tilted toward idolizing athletes, music and movie stars, and the like.

But true heroes are few and far between; Neil Armstrong really was a true American hero.

A statement released by the White House after his death said Armstrong was “among the greatest of American heroes — not just of his time, but of all time.”

So the next time you look up in the night sky, tonight perhaps, think about all of the people, and Armstrong, who have passionately pursued space exploration with the goal of providing knowledge and opportunities for humans in worlds beyond our own.

Who would have ever thought we would be exploring on Mars? Armstrong surely did. And he’ll be smiling some day when man steps foot on the red planet.

Hopefully the future brings us more guys, more heroes like Neil Armstrong.

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