Patriotic  Moms
  • HOME
  • PURPOSE
  • TEACHING OUR CHILDREN
  • HOLIDAYS
  • SONGS
  • ARCHIVES
  • CONTACT

Remembering the Heroes of the Challenger

1/28/2013

0 Comments

 

Twenty-seven years ago today, the space shuttle Challenger exploded as the world watched in horror.  Seven brave Americans lost their lives. 

That evening, President Reagan reached out to a nation in mourning.  His remarks were comforting and inspiring. 

Three days later, at a special memorial service, President Reagan promised, "We will always remember them, these skilled professionals, scientists and adventurers, these artists and teachers and family men and women, and we will cherish each of their stories - stories of triumph and bravery, stories of true American heroes."

As we remember them, may we commit to live, as they did, with courage and accomplishment, and to meet our unique challenges with joy.






Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the member of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.

I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute. We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved an impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."

There’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of the challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

Read More:  President Reagan's Remarks at a Special Memorial Service for the Astronauts



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Archives
    Blog posts from May 2011 to June 2013 are here.  Click HOME for more recent posts. 


    Dates

    November 2020
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011


    If the category you are interested in is not listed, try using "Search" below.
Photos used under Creative Commons from norwichnuts, miamism, Јerry, nukeit1, rob_rob2001, terren in Virginia, Nadia Szopinska, makelessnoise, slagheap, ProComKelly, DonkeyHotey, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, KAZVorpal, Randy OHC, Mankamundo PhotoArt, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It. World Tour, Mark & Marie Finnern, ArtBrom, chimothy27, chany14, Sweet One, srslyguys, cliff1066™, p_c_w, Dave Dugdale, MCS@flickr, Randy Son Of Robert, richiec, woodleywonderworks, MCS@flickr, |vvaldzen|, JLStricklin, Coolstock, James Jordan, BenedictFrancis, StockMonkeys.com, analogophile, sheilaellen, Jeff Kubina, chrisbastian44, Kelly Schott, LeSimonPix ★, Congressman George Miller, benfff85, Marxchivist, Sunset Parkerpix, Mr. T in DC, merfam, cliff1066™, bingbing, tyhatch, David Paul Ohmer, pwbaker, uhuru1701, Jeff Kubina, kps186media, saccodent, Parvin ♣( OFF for a while ), Paul Lowry, Karen Roe, lucianvenutian, DTWpuck, srish, dailymatador, loco's photos, Governmentality, Base Camp Baker, Obama-Biden Transition Project, shalf, Ashborne Bristol Photography, losmininos, billjacobus1, laura padgett, Tracy O, ElvertBarnes, El Bibliomata, riptheskull, srqpix, vishwaant, longislandwins, How I See Life, mhaw, AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker, roger4336, Lisa Andres, Octavian Cosma, garlandcannon, Rambling Traveler, PBoGS, rkramer62, milan81, thivierr, Ernst Vikne, phil wood photo, jonfeinstein, Pip R. Lagenta, A. Strakey, charlesfettinger, a.drian, Beverly & Pack, Danny Novo, cliff1066™, Monticello Society, idntfd, Stinging Eyes, Jonathan Thorne CC, bigbirdz, DonkeyHotey, siegertmarc, bill85704, ourbethlehem, The History Faculty, ginnerobot, JoshuaDavisPhotography, Fort Bragg, turtlemom4bacon, VictoryNH: Protect Our Primary, Allie_Caulfield, KAZVorpal, Paul J Everett, Austen Hufford, The Sagamore Journal, Lars Plougmann, joiseyshowaa, radiant guy, cliff1066™, Congressman George Miller, post406, Tambako the Jaguar, Fifth World Art, heipei, stan.faryna, Red Barnes, marshalltownpubliclibrary, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Scott & Elaine van der Chijs, Raúl A., Scott & Elaine van der Chijs, ConspiracyofHappiness, maz hewitt, seannaber, Zion PhotoGráfico, Casey David, Eli Hodapp, roberthuffstutter, seannaber, yaquina, Vladimir Yaitskiy, CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture, mark sebastian, Marxchivist, aNgeLinRicHmoNd, MPD01605, steven.y, R/DV/RS, erix!, Ernst Vikne, katmeresin, Gage Skidmore, Poetprince, rawmustard, Svadilfari, Sweet One, George Vnoucek, cambodia4kidsorg, markn3tel, UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ], Marion Doss, Korean Resource Center 민족학교, Octavian Cosma, lilivanili, krossbow, DonkeyHotey, LizMarie_AK, Matt From London, Vote Marc Moffitt, soundfromwayout, comedy_nose, Worldizen, phileole, Siena College, thivierr, edalisse, Muffet, r w h, betancourt, Obama-Biden Transition Project, MelvinSchlubman, L.C.Nøttaasen, vicki moore, North Charleston, stephane333, srslyguys, acornchief, 28misguidedsouls, Peter McCarthy, Lucid Nightmare, AlicePopkorn, C_Baltrusch, Alex E. Proimos, Robby van Moor, Bengt Nyman, Loren Javier, dfred, Wendy Piersall, dgj103, stevegatto2, Mitya Kuznetsov, Ivy Dawned, gregwest98, Chris_Short, Bob Jagendorf, B Mully, Palinopsia_Films, Thriving Ink, jvoves, spakattacks, technoevangelist, CJ Sorg, h4ck3rm1k3, DonkeyHotey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, kerryvaughan, Minette Layne, Matt Neale, roberthuffstutter, Muslimology, Tony the Misfit, jamiejohndavies, Fibonacci Blue, S.MiRK, Јerry, adria.richards, archer10 (Dennis) Busy, LenDog64, billaday, Lazurite, pablo.sanchez, saccodent, Elvert Barnes, Lida Rose, avlxyz, arneboell, Valerie Everett, @ANDYwithCAMERA, istolethetv, MPD01605, deeleea, markwainwright, Kevin Goebel, TrishaLyn, ellenkabellen, Krysten_N, jurvetson, Minnesota Historical Society, showbizsuperstar, brainchildvn