It was a time for American hero’s. Being the first man to orbit the earth put John Glenn right up there with all those great men of that time and that generation.

Now that I look back, John Glenn and the astronauts of those times all remind me of my father, an aeronautical engineer with Boeing for all of his adult life.

Dad didn’t orbit the earth, but he flew on the first Boeing 707 around the world. He didn’t go up in a space ship, but he launched the first Minuteman from Vandenburg Air Force Base in Santa Maria, California. He helped engineer and flight test the B-52 and the B-47. He took 5,000 people to upstate New York to develop and flight test the Chinook, our first jet helicopter.

I pay tribute to all the dedicated and talented men of The Greatest Generation.

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JFK and John Glenn (LBJ at right) when honor, respect, grace, humility and fortitude were exhibited by the men of The Greatest Generation.