On Oct. 12, a film called “First Man” will debut in theaters. It centers on the life of Neil Armstrong in the 1960s.
During the course of his life, Armstrong had many roles. There was Neil Armstrong, the Eagle Scout. There was Neil Armstrong, the Navy ensign and fighter pilot. There was Neil Armstrong, the aeronautics professor. There was also Neil Armstrong, the very enthusiastic (albeit average) golfer. And there was Neil Armstrong, the musician, speaker, writer, dead-eye horseshoe thrower, and director of musical varieties, just to name a few.
And, of course, there was Neil Armstrong, the astronaut and the first man to step on the surface of the moon.
He held another role, though, one that mattered more to him than any other: He was Neil Armstrong, father to us, Rick and Mark, and our sister, Karen. In our home, he wasn’t the stuff of later legend or a ghostly image in a video. He was, simply, “Dad.”
The Apollo 11 mission had a tremendous impact on our lives. Many people have seen the images of our dad taking those steps on the moon, but they may not appreciate that for everyone involved, this mission was a family affair, and we were all in.
Our late mother, Janet, sacrificed mightily to make sure our dad could concentrate on his work. More intensely than anyone else in our family, she lived every soaring high and endured every heartbreaking low. And all the while, she managed to shelter us from the fear that she felt. It’s easy to look back at the success of the space program and forget that some astronauts died during training — that these missions were as risky as they were thrilling.
Our mom shouldered these burdens stoically. Whether our dad was hundreds, or hundreds of thousands, of miles away, she kept our family together and lived with the reality that her husband might never come home — a feeling that spouses of our past and present military know all too well. If the mission succeeded, Neil Armstrong would become a hero; if it failed, Janet Armstrong would become a widow.
Her sacrifice was as heroic as our father’s, and until the film “First Man,” it hadn’t been properly honored. Her bravery and poise is portrayed in the film, and when we first saw it, we watched with tears in our eyes and warmth in our hearts. It’s the best depiction we’ve seen of the lives of the astronauts’ wives, an important element of the story that’s too often overlooked.
Some have focused on a single scene not in the movie: the planting of the flag on the lunar surface. They’ve used the absence of that scene to cast the entire film as unpatriotic. And yet, there are numerous U.S. flags throughout the film, including a flag on the surface of the moon, as well as patriotism interwoven throughout the entire story.
In 1969, our country accomplished a breakthrough unlike any in history, and that triumph demonstrated to the rest of the world the advantages of a free society. The moon landing was the achievement of more than 400,000 Americans and their families who were committed to make that moment possible, who refused to fail. This film shows Americans at our finest: banding together, sacrificing for one another, and putting the greater good ahead of all else. It speaks to everything that makes our country stand tall.
Our mother and father, like the other astronauts and their families, were honorable, decent, hardworking, and patriotic people.
Our mother and father, like the other astronauts and their families, were honorable, decent, hard-working and patriotic people. We watched this movie with pride—as Americans. We hope that you do too.
Mark and Rick Armstrong are the sons of the late astronaut Neil Armstrong.
