Armstrong Marks 25th Anniversary of Apollo 11
The man who left the first footprints on the moon made a rare public appearance Sunday, returning to his home state to mark the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.
Neil Armstrong shook hands, signed autographs and joked with an air show crowd at the Neil Armstrong Airport.
“We in Ohio take pride in the fact that this is the birthplace of aviation,” Armstrong told the crowd. “I take pride in the fact that to me, Auglaize County is the birthplace of my aviation, because I learned to fly here.”
The former astronaut watched the show from a makeshift reviewing stand, taking the microphone to speak from time to time to the crowd of 8,000 people.
Armstrong, 63, who grew up in nearby Wapakoneta, had been invited to attend the community’s moonwalk festival, but had not replied. He passed up NASA activities.
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