Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey Reflects On Historic Moon Landing On 50th Anniversary

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Fifty years ago today the world stood still, holding it’s breath as Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon while their teammate Michael Collins remained in the Command Module for the historic first step on the surface of the moon.

I would imagine that almost everyone who is old enough to remember the first mission to the moon has probably already given some thought to exactly what they were doing when that special moment in our nation’s history occurred.

For me, I was seven years old and was with my family watching everything we could about the landing and focused on the actions of the Astronauts.

Hearing those iconic first words of Armstrong “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.” is forever etched in my mind and pride of our great nation.”

ABOVE VIDEO: On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong made history as the first man to walk on the moon, and uttered his famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” See the moment as it was covered live by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.

I remember how amazing the Astronauts were and how they became instant heroes while watching the Ticker Tape Parade upon their return.

As I kid I was amazed at what the Astronauts had accomplished, but now fifty years later as an adult, I find myself understanding that while the accomplishments of Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were incredible, it would have never happened without the amazing team working behind the scenes to make a dream a reality.

Each came from different walks of life to work together to make it all possible. An amazing team of patriotic men and women who made sure every detail of their role was flawless to ensure the success of the mission and more importantly, the safety of the crew.

Men and women like my father-in-law William Lewis, your mom or dad, brother or sister, or even your neighbor who each contributed to this piece of history with their heart and passion!

Men and women who were not riding in cars during the parade, but instead were quietly working behind the scenes to change the world and continue to make history!

Unfortunately, members who most of us will never have the opportunity to meet and personally thank for their their actions that forever changed the world.

As Sheriff, you never hear me use the term “support team,” as I know all too well that each member of our agency is VITAL to the success of our mission to protect our citizens. Each plays a specific role, you might say, a link in our chain, where If you remove just one of them from our team we would not be successful.

Each employee and volunteer makes our team work!! It makes me realize just how important each member of the Apollo 11 team was to their success and to our country’s success in the Space Program!!

So today as we celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, the members of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office are honored to salute all of the amazing men and women who made that “giant leap” a reality!

– Sheriff Wayne Ivey

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