Promotion of Col. Buzz Aldrin to Brigadier General
5/5/23?
Honored to be at Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force base with my good friend, author, mentor and endowed professor of space architecture Larry Bell to celebrate the promotion of Col. Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. PhD to the rank of Brigadier General.
While people all over the world heralded the coronation of King Charles, a royal position acquired from heredity, a crowd of hundreds of military and civilians alike witnessed the deserved honor of a true American hero. While most remembered from his famous walk on the moon with Neil Armstrong during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, he also accomplished three spacewalks during the 1966 Gemini 12 mission.
While Buzz was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal for his exploits, he also served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War flying 66 combat missions and shot down two MiG-15 aircraft. This extends the length of his valor to decades.
Heroes the likes of General Aldrin are few and far between and I am proud and honored to have met him.