Another thought about John Glenn
Senator Glenn is a childhood hero of mine. His life and work after he retired from NASA made him one of my heroes as an adult, as well.
I was five years old when he orbited the earth and I remember that day vividly. The United States was seriously in the space race after his flight and the space program thrilled me. As I got older, I read everything I could about him and the other astronauts. The NASA program was inspirational to many of us. When Mr. Glenn entered politics, I was almost always impressed by his positions, work and principles. (The sole exception was the Keating scandal which he himself said was a singular major error of judgment.)
His life is a wonderful, all-American tale as a fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut, businessman and politician. But there's one story that captured the essence of the man that was illustrated in Tom Wolfe's, "The Right Stuff." When Colonel Glenn's orbital flight was cancelled due to technical issues, (it was, of course, later successful), then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson wanted to talk with Col. Glenn's wife, Annie, on national TV. But she demurred because she was shy and tended to stutter. This scene from the movie of Mr. Wolfe's book is inspiring:
In particular, I like the way the other astronauts back up Col. Glenn at the end of the scene.
Add to his accomplishments that he was a true gentleman and loving husband. Godspeed, John Glenn.
