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Where were you when the Eagle landed?

The Associated Press

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. poses beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2009

To those who lived through it, there has been no summer like the summer of 1969.

Richard Nixon was serving his first year in the White House. The country was in turmoil over the Vietnam War. Charles Manson and his followers went a killing spree. The Mets were marching to the World Series. Elvis returned to Las Vegas. "Hair" was still a hit on Broadway.

"Sesame Street" and "The Brady Bunch" debuted on TV. "Easy Rider" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" were box office hits.

Sen. Edward Kennedy's political future changed when he drove off a narrow bridge at Chappaquiddick and a female passenger died. The gay rights movement solidified when homosexuals and drag queens fought back after police raided New York's Stonewall Inn. And nearly 500,000 gathered for the Woodstock Music Festival (three days of love, peace and music).

Much of this was covered on television. And the event that almost every one watched that summer was when 39-year-old astronaut Neil A. Armstrong stepped on the moon's surface, saying "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

The country was divided over many things, but we were united that night on July 20, 1969. I remember watching it with my father "in living color" on a large Zenith console which had to be frequently adjusted or Chet Huntley and David Brinkley would turn green.

I was living at home that summer. After graduating from college, l had landed my first newspaper job. I also was drafted by the Army only to be deemed 4-F for having flat feet.

On the night of the moonwalk, my father and I marveled over watching something live that was happening about 239,000 miles from Earth.

The television coverage had started with the launch on July 16 and it was primitive by today's standards. The commentary was simple, straightforward and effective. I remember getting a patriotic chill when I heard: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Where were you when the Eagle landed? Submit your comments below.

Walt Belcher, 62, is the television writer for The Tampa Tribune. He can be reached at 259-7654.

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