April 1, 2024
I am not particularly fond of April Fool’s Day. Dyngus Day landed conveniently this year on April 1st. It’s a Polish holiday, sort of a respite from the rigors of Lent. In other words, it’s kind of a let’er rip day. I prefer that tradition to one that is a trickster day. It’s hard enough to get people to discern between real news and fake news, without purposely pranking your friends with a well-crafted made-up story.
Nevertheless, Fools Day it is, and 57 years ago on this day, a young Marine pilot named Jerry Carr got a call from Allan Sheppard. On that day he accepted his assignment to the Astronaut Corp. He was in the second group. Nineteen men who would be among the first to launch into space.
It always amazes me how humble and self-deprecating real heroes are. One of my heroes is a young Lieutenant Colonel in the Armed Forces. A man with many missions in harm’s way. Too many to list here, but let me just point out that he was on the last plane out of Afghanistan. Adam is the guy you want beside you when you’re faced with a tough mission. And yes, you would have no idea the length and breadth of his military experience. To him, just like Jerry, it’s just his job.
It was the way Jerry Carr treated his life as a Marine, an Astronaut, and a human being. Humble, yet amazing in every way.
Here’s a clip from The Artist and the Astronaut. A perfect example of Jerry’s nature. He was something special.
Oh, and the young man who is the hero I speak of? My son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel Adam Nordin.