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I Remember the Night
When Neil Armstrong quipped
"That's one small step for man"
"One giant leap for mankind"
I was crouched in a muddy ditch
In a steamy valley
In southeast asia
Trying not to get killed
By small asian men
Who didn't give a crap
About the moon
Or Neil Armstrong
NASA photo
.
I'm sorry! I was in a foreign country while my father was flying planes in the same war.
ReplyDeleteWow, Pat... your post gave me chills. Very poignant...
ReplyDeleteThanks Pat...I've missed your writing. Please send more our way.
ReplyDeleteRosemary
that's one vivid memory. I remember the moon landing and photographed it on TV. I still have the black and white photos somewhere...
ReplyDeletehappy day to you Pat.
Wow, Pat. That certainly gives that night a different perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteI give a crap that you served and survived, Pat.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service and sacrifice!
hmmm. wow.
ReplyDeleteAlex - Nothing to apologize for Alex. I saw something about Neil Armstrong and that's what popped into my head.
ReplyDeleteNat - Thanks Nat! Gave me the chills also.
Rosemary - Thanks for saying that Rosemary! I appreciate it...
Ms. Becky - It was a big event,it's very cool that you have that photo.
laughingmom - Thanks! It's weird to think that you could look at the moon and know that people had actually been there..
TexWisGirl - hmmm... that's what I'm saying...
I'm glad you made it through the war, Pat. I was 19 and taking care of my first baby when we landed on the moon. I ran outside to look at the moon that night and pictured them up there. It was pretty exciting.
ReplyDeleteJust think, that's the same moon that was above you, while you were in that jungle. I, too, thank you for your service and your survival.
ReplyDeleteVery powerful way to put things into context, Pat.
ReplyDeleteI was 11 and wondering where all that hair was coming from.
Thankfully you lived to remember!
ReplyDeleteThat's one of my very earliest memories! I also have preschool memories of being deathly afraid of getting sent to Vietnam. Thankfully I didn't turn 18 until 1985.
Didn't know you fought in that war Pat. I salute you and your fellow soldiers. My uncle also fought there. Had a lot of problems afterwards though.
ReplyDeleteWould have loved to have been old enough to remember the landing. I'm still disappointed we're not taking annual holidays on the moon..(as we thought by now!)
I remember that day well...my Dad was a YMCA camp director and we spent every summer there. A small group of 15 or 20 people were gathered around a 19" B&W TV to watch the landing. I close my eyes now and can see it clearly. I'm sorry you weren't in a better place so you could watch it. Thanks for all you did Pat.
ReplyDeleteBelle - thanks Belle! I guess you had your work cut out for you then! I didn't even hear about the moon landing until about a week later.
ReplyDeleteMs. A - Thanks right back at you! Like Vin Sculley says, "They also serve who only stand and wait."
Al - Thanks Al! Yep, you were in the middle of one of life's major puzzles...
James - I'm glad you didn't have to go! It was certainly an adventure...
Anthony - Thanks Anthony! If I had a hat on, I'd salute you back! I know what you mean about the moon. I thought we'd have Hilton hotels there by now.
Chuck - Thanks Chuck! I would have loved to have seen that on TV. I was pretty much right where I wanted to be at that time. I wasn't normal at all...
Oh, I can't beat yours.
ReplyDeleteI think I was a kid lying on the living room floor, watching only because the news interrupted Bewitched. There had been guys flying around in outer space my whole life; I'm sorry to admit it just didn't seem like a big enough deal to interrupt Samantha and Darren.
What powerful words. Sure puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I'm glad you survived. I can't imagine what you went through.
ReplyDeletealtadenahiker - I can understand that. I each generation that passes is a little less impressed by tech advances. Oh yeah, you'd think that they would plan the moon landing a little more carefully. The never of them!
ReplyDeleteLynNerdKelley - Thanks so much! I'm here today and now that's what matters!
You are correct about Fashion Island in my photo. :)
ReplyDeletePat. Pat! I love this. It makes me sad and confused and it is wonderful. Enter this into a contest please! This is really, really excellent.
ReplyDeleteI love it!!! You write as well as you photograph...I'm looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I was 8 years old. I remember looking at the moon out of my bedroom window and trying to imagine that a man was up there, right now, walking around. It was surreal.
Thank you so much for your military service, we are proud to know you.
ReplyDeleteJames - Ah ha! I thought so! It's a great pic...
ReplyDeleteJenny - Thanks so much Jenny! I still the contest info (that you set up), but I just haven't done it yet. It doesn't surprise me though. I've never printed out a single one of my photos either. No doubt it's some kind of dysfuntion...
Eve - That's very nice of you to say Eve! I've got a ton of written posts on my blog. In fact, it was all written at one time! You are right, it was surreal...
Brian - Why thank you!
Hells Bells.. you brought the hammer up and slammed it down in this one.. this is awesome..
ReplyDeletewish you would submit this for my set of volumes building for take-it-to-the-street.. if you want to, here is the email addy:
tittsp@gmail.com
I´m too young so I wasn´t born on that date. I´m sure it was very exciting. Greetings.
ReplyDeletepowerful poem!
ReplyDeletethank you for your service and your survival, pat.
That was beautifully written. I will always be thankful for you and everyone else that served.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got out safe...really beautifully woven piece and the two events so different and yet happening at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIf they did chances are you wouldn't have been there.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Life is chock full of momentous events happening simultaneously with the most earthly and mundane... Glad you survived the jungle, Pat! But then again, it's quite clear you're a survivor in every way.
ReplyDeleteA powerful post Pat. I have often wondered why so much emphasis has been put on sending people into space, when there's enough crap going on down here.
ReplyDeleteYour words are perfect.