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[i]Thank you. I am so glad to be here, with you all, for this celebration of Aurora 7 50 years later. I was delighted at first by Patty's request that I say a few words about dad and his flight. Then I realized there was a downside to my having witnessed his launch on May 24, 1962. The upside? I get to brag. The downside: my age at the time is now well documented. I'll leave the math to you. Nineteen sixty-two was a great year for me. I was in first grade, teacher's pet, my parents were on the cover of LIFE magazine. Every parent got a turn there, I thought. And 1962 was my parents' turn. And now my dad was poised to make history aboard Aurora 7 and Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty, starring Princess Aurora. My life was complete. That was a six-year-old's view. I know now how frightening the times were. Nuclear-tipped missiles, bomb shelters, duck and cover drills, the real threat of nuclear war. I do remember my dad — thank you dad — for not sparing me. "So what do we do, Daddy, when the Bomb drops. Where do we hide?" He said simply. "Nothing. We will be vapor." But I digress. The bottom line is: I am here to honor dad. Dad: Thank you for your service to country. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for setting a standard for young people who longed for the country to do well and to do good. Fifty years ago Scotty, Jay, Krissy, and Candy witnessed their father's launch live. We were the first children to do so. Not many people know. "Do we allow our children," my parents asked each other between March and May 1962, "to be a part of this, not knowing what will happen?" A mixture of courage and faith allowed them to place us on the beach at Cape Canaveral. Fifty years later I realize their gift to me: "You can do hard things." So thank you, dad, for your courage and faith.[/i]
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