Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012)

Yesterday, we lost a great American hero, Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012).  

Mr. Armstrong was a veteran of the Korean War, a graduate of Purdue University, and, of course, the first man to set foot on the moon.  He is -- at this time -- only one of a dozen human beings to do so.

Neil Armstrong served as the command pilot for the Gemini 8 in 1966, and played a critical role on the landmark Apollo 11 mission, which landed him on the Moon on July 20, 1969.   

For his courage, endurance, curiosity and humanity, Mr. Armstrong earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Medal of Honor, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Mr. Armstrong was a hero and role model to a generation of children across the globe...this writer included.  

Armstrong was more than a pilot or an astronaut, but a dedicated explorer of the final frontier, a man who helped mankind expand the breadth of his knowledge and experience.  He was a pioneer of the Space Age.   We need people like Neil Armstrong more than ever, and today the country -- and indeed the world -- mourns his loss.

Neil Armstrong reminded us that that what some people consider "impossible" is achievable, and that man's destiny is always just beyond the next horizon.