Celebrating 40th Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Floor Speech

* Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution (H. Res. 607) honoring the tremendous achievement of the crew of Apollo 11 and the thousands who labored for nearly a decade to lay the groundwork for the first human landing on the surface of the Moon.

* Today marks the 40th anniversary of this historic flight that challenged and changed America. In Dayton, Ohio--the Birthplace of Aviation--the Wright Brothers set the process of human flight in motion. Today, Dayton is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force Museum, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF). The National Aviation Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization founded in Dayton in 1962 and chartered by Congress in 1964 to honor America's outstanding air and space pioneers.

* I congratulate the Apollo 11 crew on their magnificent accomplishment of being the first to land successfully on the Moon. Dayton welcomed the Apollo astronauts this past weekend during two days of special events spotlighting their service. On July 17, all of the Apollo astronauts, including the Apollo 11 crew, were honored by the National Aviation Hall of Fame with the ``Spirit of Flight'' Award for their contributions to the advancement of flight. Thirteen of the original Apollo program astronauts attended the event held in the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB Friday night, including Ohio native Neil Armstrong. The former Apollo crewmen also participated in a panel discussion about their experiences in space.

* Dayton was also pleased to host on July 18 ``America's Oscar Night of Aviation'' as the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrined four aviation legends. Those honored included astronaut Edward White, II, who made America's first spacewalk on the Gemini IV mission. White lost his life in a flash fire that occurred during an Apollo 1 launch pad test at the Kennedy Space Center.

* Also inducted into the 2009 Class of the National Aviation Hall of Fame was astronaut Eileen Collins, the Air Force's first female flight instructor and the first female Space Shuttle commander.

* From the Wright Brothers, to the Apollo program crews, to our Shuttle astronauts, America should pause to reflect upon the bravery, sacrifice and service of our aviation pioneers. They have inspired us not only to reach higher, but also to dream that anything is possible.

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