It was with great pain that I read a Sunday Herald commentary about the space shuttle. (“Was it worth the cost?”) It asked the question whether the shuttle was a triumph or a tragedy.
As I continued reading the full-page commentary the pain in my heart was difficult to handle. Why? Because I was there at the shuttle program’s launch. I helped the many, many men who made a milestone in history by putting the United States “first” into action.
Then I looked at the wall in my room and saw the large plaque with a little cloth flag that was flown on the first flight, with signatures by the astronauts and words that said “thanks for helping us get the first shuttle into orbit.”
The astronauts helped create a “FIRST” for America and the pride of the entire nation. We were there first. We found information about the universe that you could find nowhere else.
The writer of the article was a retired Los Angeles Times news writer and his views were so negatively written that the article destroys the facts that this was a great accomplishment. As I recalled the landing of the first shuttle and the way everyone felt about the accomplishment, I hoped that the negativism of the writer would not tarnish the personal pride of all of us.
Paul Minneman
Everett
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