[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APOLLO 11 MISSION

  (Mrs. SCHMIDT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the 
40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and, notably, the commander 
of that crew, Neil Armstrong, as the first person to set foot on the 
Moon. President John F. Kennedy told a joint session of Congress in 
1961: ``I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving 
the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and 
returning him safely to Earth.''
  That goal was achieved nearly 8 years later on July 20, 1969, by 
Ohio's own Neil Armstrong, along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. 
Tonight I honor Neil and the men and women who worked tirelessly to 
make Apollo 11 a success. I, as a child, was mesmerized by Apollo 11's 
mission. I was one of the hundreds of millions who watched on 
television as Neil Armstrong took that historic step on the Moon.
  Landing on the Moon wasn't just an American event. It was a proud and 
historic event for all mankind. In the wake of this incredible 
accomplishment, Neil Armstrong has received many, many awards. Most 
notably, he received the highest award offered to U.S. civilians, the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Neil has undertaken several endeavors 
since that walk on the Moon, and I am especially proud of one professor 
of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati, my alma 
mater. I am extremely proud to call Neil one of my constituents.
  Madam Speaker, let me leave you with the quote that has become the 
core of our American history: ``That's one small step for man, one 
giant leap for mankind.'' Thank you, Neil Armstrong, for taking that 
giant leap; and thank you to everyone who made Apollo 11 a success. 
Forty years later we ponder its magnitude.

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