“Where were you when Kennedy was shot?”
The Greatest Generation likely asked the same “where were YOU” question about the attack on Pearl Harbor.
For me?
I’m a Pirate Parrothead (Buffett fan) “baby boomer” who qualified for Medicare this month, but I would argue the most pivotal moments during MY 6.5 decades were more profound than these questions would imply.
My personal opinion of the Most Pivotal Moments in MY lifespan may be different from yours. But, I would argue my case on the merits of the MACRO level – beyond you & me – and I’d suggest a look at the resulting changes since these profound turning points of history.
The Top 3?
Some would select the invention of the smart phone. Some would say the collapse of the USSR. Others would suggest the fall of the Berlin Wall or the election of Reagan.
I don’t believe those events qualify. Why?
Because I’m not so sure that all of those events weren’t inevitable anyway. The USSR, like the Berlin Wall coming down, were doomed to eventual failure, but not until millions suffered the consequences of evil. One might debate over conditions that accelerated those events, but even the Reagan landslide over Carter looks inevitable from this side of history. The recovery aftermath story from COVID-19 is still being written.
So, … what events over MY lifetime have been THE Most Pivotal – to our present day living? Counting backwards from 3:
# 3 : The Assassination of JFK. I was just a little kid. Twelve years later, I would do a term paper on the events and the questions raised by the Warren Commission Report that many skeptics STILL refuse to abandon. The event horrified and saddened a nation that was still getting used to the bluntness of the world “happening” live in front of them on TV screens. A TV picture is worth 1,000 radio words … or more. Jargon became metaphors: “Lone Gunman”, “Single Bullet Theory”, “Magic Bullet”, “Oswald’s Ruby”. Beyond the fact that you didn’t have to be a partisan Democrat (only an American citizen) to respect The American President in those days, JFK’s assassination impacted changes in U.S. policy and direction. Civil Rights legislation, military base closures, the Vietnam War, and The Great Society all saw major “adjustments” as a result. How much did the U.S. Intel community, social unrest of America’s young people, music, art, the Cold War, and all the rest change? Quite a bit; perhaps more than we think. One thing is certain: Security for Presidents forever changed, and our nation’s innocence was lost on television.
#2 : The Attack on America of September 11, 2001. “evil” is a word I refuse to capitalize in writing because the “father of lies” is an eternal loser. Still, the world was reminded of evil’s realness and scope on that terrible day. The attack was my generation’s Pearl Harbor. And, like Pearl Harbor, Americans were … UNITED … against radical Islamic terrorism. Also like Pearl Harbor, September 11th had great heroes: First responders, regular citizens, military personnel at the Pentagon, Todd Beamer, public officials, The President, and many others. America was proud, and resolute. The Aftermath of 9 /11 over two decades later? Our world is not the same; especially the U.S. citizenry, and how we view security threats in our every day living.
# 1 : THE MOST PIVOTAL EVENT OF MY LIFETIME:
The Apollo 11 Walk on The Moon.
And, to me, it really isn’t close.
People have gazed at the Moon for … LITERALLY … millennia. And wondered. The Wright brothers did their thing during the lives of my Grandparents. A few decades later, my Grandparents watched us (and I DO Mean “US“ !) walk on the moon. On their brand new, 25″ console color TV sets. That weighed about 300 pounds. And cost about the same as a TV screen 3 times that size today.
However, this highest achievement of man in the realms of both exploration and technology doesn’t occur without leadership and a President’s initiative. The fictional call to “boldly go where no man has gone before” (Star Trek) happened a half-decade after JFK’s speech to Congress and his famous Rice University speech of September 12, 1962.
American Heroes Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin representing about 400,000 NASA and contractor employees, about 175 million Americans, and pretty much all of mankind … for all of recorded time. Ya know?
I was 10 years-old when I memorized the date … on the day it happened. We just celebrated the 55th anniversary a few days ago. The date was July 20, 1969.
The “space race” with the Russians may have been a chess tactic of the Cold War to some people, but Werner Von Braun and others convinced JFK that the vision was worth pursuing. And boy, was it ever!
Even if we “Medicare Pirates” could forget the marvel of space exploration starting with the Mercury program, we can’t overstate man’s greatest achievement of walking on the moon. 360,000 contractors and 36,000 NASA employees eclipsing Christopher Columbus, the Pyramids of Giza, and any other “Wonder of the World” feat of mere mortals. But, here’s the thing:
The Moon Walk of Apollo 11 was about SO MUCH MORE than one of the most memorable dates in all of human history – for the highest successful human achievement ever attempted.
Here at home, it was about a united nation, confident in its abilities. Leadership made a difference in public opinion, and it inspired us, and reminded us of our heritage as a nation, and the human desire to explore the unknown. Indeed, the entire world celebrated WITH us, with the exception of propaganda machines blinding their populations yearning for our Freedoms.
Great financial cost, the loss of lives in the Apollo I accident, and countless technical problems made Kennedy’s vision of completing the task before the end of the 60’s an impossible task.
But, … we Americans of Excellence … did the impossible anyway.
The project required a new invention for nearly every problem. Every solution seemed to reveal another problem. And yes, engineers and researchers did lots of trial-and-error on the rocky road of progress. But oh, what progress!
Today, we take for granted the stunning peripheral contributions of the space program that triumphed in July of 1969. Research dollars, engineering, and innovation either invented, or advanced the development timetable of technology of so much of what we take for granted today. It even impacted our culture. Consider:
Electronics, navigation, computing, communications, security, photography, optics, propulsion, materials science, gadgetry / remote operations and control, astronomy, weather forecasting, military intel, automation, manufacturing, countless other advances owe something to the space program and the long road toward … and now beyond … the Apollo 11 mission.
The Arts? How long have humans written about the moon? The stars? And, the heavens beyond?
Even more contempory musicians like Bowie, Elton, and others have picked up the natural wonder that man has about space flight. And, you don’t have to be a Star Trek, Star Wars, or Buzz LightYear fan to acknowledge their impact on cultural metaphors and icons from movies and the imaginations of their writers. Those writers?
Inspired by Apollo 11, no doubt.
“That’s One Small Step for Man; One Giant Leap for Mankind.”
-Neil Armstrong
That, Neil, was an understatement. That leap was like … in my opinion …
… like a light year leap for Mankind.
To your success,
