Off Topic RIP John Glenn

[K-9]

One of my first heroes. God speed, Mr. Glenn. 

[North Buffalo]

oh no?!

[North Buffalo]

When I worked in the US Senate I got a chance 2 weeks before he went back up in the shuttle to ride a subway from the Russel bldg to the Capitol just me and him. We talked about space and his reason for going back up. He gave me a faraway look and said, isn't science neat!". I'll never forget and what a gentleman.

Edited December 8, 2016 by North Buffalo

[LGR4GM]

I'll raise a glass to him. Great person

[K-9]

When I worked in the US Senate I got a chance 2 weeks before he went back up in the shuttle to ride a subway from the Russel bldg to the Capitol just me and him. We talked about space and his reason for going back up. He gave me a faraway look and said, isn't science neat!". I'll never forget and what a gentleman.

Wow, what an experience that must have been. Glad you had that opportunity. I always admired his young boy-like wonder when he talked about space and exploration. It was infectious. John Pope, a main character in Michener's Space, patterned that character after Glenn and I think he captured it perfectly based on things Glenn has said over the years. 

[Eleven]

Some idiot on the 4pm hour on Fox News yesterday spewing about how liberals don't appreciate Glenn the way conservatives do...WHAT?

 

95, orbited the earth, went up in a shuttle, that's a pretty good life, Mr. Glenn.

[North Buffalo]

Yeh Glenn believed in science unlike those so called conservatives.... bs partisanship from a guy who tried to avoid it by being for things not against.

[Stoner]

Politico has an interesting piece on how this modest, centrist American hero had basically zero chance of getting the Democratic nomination in 1984. Kind of a canary in the coal mine moment in our politics.

[North Buffalo]

About this time the Republicam whip Tom Delay stated a quote i always loved but maybe not so much now... "The only things in the middle of the road are yellowlines and dead armadillos".

Edited December 9, 2016 by North Buffalo

[K-9]

Some idiot on the 4pm hour on Fox News yesterday spewing about how liberals don't appreciate Glenn the way conservatives do...WHAT?

 

95, orbited the earth, went up in a shuttle, that's a pretty good life, Mr. Glenn.

What does that even mean? Just a stupid thing to say. Was it one of the younger Faux News folks? 

[Eleven]

What does that even mean? Just a stupid thing to say. Was it one of the younger Faux News folks?

 

No. Late forties Id say.

[MattPie]

Someone on my FB feed was lamenting that some 30-year-old waiter at lunch didn't know who he was. That's kind of sad, but I don't see it as a huge deal. Heroes get lost to time. I'm guessing many people here don't know who Alvin York was (unless they saw the movie). I'm sure back in the 60s when he died people were complaining about how kids today don't know who he was.

[Eleven]

Someone on my FB feed was lamenting that some 30-year-old waiter at lunch didn't know who he was. That's kind of sad, but I don't see it as a huge deal. Heroes get lost to time. I'm guessing many people here don't know who Alvin York was (unless they saw the movie). I'm sure back in the 60s when he died people were complaining about how kids today don't know who he was.

 

I don't know who Alvin York is.  So I'm gonna look him up.

[TheAud]

Someone on my FB feed was lamenting that some 30-year-old waiter at lunch didn't know who he was. That's kind of sad, but I don't see it as a huge deal. Heroes get lost to time. I'm guessing many people here don't know who Alvin York was (unless they saw the movie). I'm sure back in the 60s when he died people were complaining about how kids today don't know who he was.

 

Today people don't know who Jimmy Doolittle was. 

[Eleven]

Today people don't know who Jimmy Doolittle was. 

 

Now I've learned about two interesting people.

[MattPie]

Today people don't know who Jimmy Doolittle was. 

 

Doolittle is a great example, thanks. For that matter, most people (myself included) can't name all the US presidents post-LIncoln up to FDR.

[Eleven]

Doolittle is a great example, thanks. For that matter, most people (myself included) can't name all the US presidents post-LIncoln up to FDR.

 

That I can do, thanks to an eighth-grade teacher who made us memorize them all, in order.

[josie]

Today people don't know who Jimmy Doolittle was. 

God, huge hero of mine as a kid. Read about that famous raid soooo many times. His autobio, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again is a good read. I haven't read it since 5th grade. It's time, I think. 

 

The astronauts were legends to me. There are some astoundingly good documentaries out there that "humanize" them, but they'll always be giants to me. Balls of steel, brilliant, test pilots. 

 

If you want a giggle, check out Chuck Yeager's twitter account. He's a gruff old man :) 

https://twitter.com/GenChuckYeager

[North Buffalo]

Today people don't know who Jimmy Doolittle was.

 

I remember him from reading about the Battle of Midway... his raiders had a chapter dedicated to them. Edited December 9, 2016 by North Buffalo

[MattPie]

I remember him from reading about the Battle of Midway... his raiders had a chapter dedicated to them.

 

Isn't he played by Alec Baldwin in the lamentable "Pearl Harbor"? If you're trying to place the role, it's just before the point to movie probably should have ended and yet went on for another 45 minutes. Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (from what I just read) is much preferred by the surviving participants.. er... American participants. I'm not sure how the Japanese feel about either movie.

[josie]

Isn't he played by Alec Baldwin in the lamentable "Pearl Harbor"? If you're trying to place the role, it's just before the point to movie probably should have ended and yet went on for another 45 minutes. Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (from what I just read) is much preferred by the surviving participants.. er... American participants. I'm not sure how the Japanese feel about either movie.

Yeah, he's a really bad Doolittle in that. That movie... ok, I enjoyed it as a pubescent girl in love with Hartnett and Affleck but... oof. Music's good, though. 

 

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo is fantastic. A great book. In Dayton's National Air Force Museum, there's a whole section dedicated to the raid and survivor's plight, including pieces of the Ruptured Duck and Ted Lawson's bloody shirt. Various blood chits and stuff as well. As a kid, I absolutely loved that book, and seeing those artifacts was nigh overwhelming. Normal 10 year old girl. 

[Huckleberry]

Some idiot on the 4pm hour on Fox News yesterday spewing about how liberals don't appreciate Glenn the way conservatives do...WHAT?

 

95, orbited the earth, went up in a shuttle, that's a pretty good life, Mr. Glenn.

watching fox news makes me feel dumb. 

 

RIP , these guys were heroes because they went up in basically garbage cans :p

I don't know who Alvin York is.  So I'm gonna look him up.

 

The german side of the story is a little less heroic :p

[MattPie]

watching fox news makes me feel dumb. 

 

RIP , these guys were heroes because they went up in basically garbage cans :P

 

The german side of the story is a little less heroic :P

 

Haha, yeah, I can see that. Same with the Doolittle Raid, if I even get comfortable enough with a Japanese person it'd be interesting to ask.

[woods-racer]

watching fox news makes me feel dumb.

 

RIP , these guys were heroes because they went up in basically garbage cans :p

 

 

The german side of the story is a little less heroic :p

IIRC GLEN never called them garbage cans, but had a great one liner about them being built by the lowest bidder.

[TheAud]

Haha, yeah, I can see that. Same with the Doolittle Raid, if I even get comfortable enough with a Japanese person it'd be interesting to ask.

I lived in Tokyo for 7 years until 2013...most Japanese view their WW II government similar to how the Germans view the 3rd Reich...with some degree of horror and wonder how their predecessors let it get to that point.  Of course any individual may have different opinions but obviously there is much more retrospective angst or anger over Nagasaki and Hiroshima than any other aspect of WW II. To the extent that the Doolittle Raid ties out with payback for Pearl Harbor, I doubt most Japanese have any issue with it and can appreciate the daring and bravery involved.