Article clipped from Honolulu Star-Advertiser

millions hail Anollo trio By MERRIMAN SMITH f ' fl hit? House Reporter LOS ANGELES The Apollo 11 astronauts received 9 heart-stirring acclaim from America yesterday capped by award ot the Medal of Freedom for deeds that, will be remembered "as long as men search for truth on this planet and among the stars." Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. hoked back tears at a "Uttering state dinner as he said he hoped their mission "marks tiie beginning of a new era when man understands the universe around him and the beginning of an era when man understands himself." FROM TIIE BIGGEST of all tickertape parades in New York, through roaring crowds in Chicago to perhaps the greatest assemblage of elite in the nation's history here. Armstrong. Edwin L Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins found out what their countrymen think of them. The climax of a tremendous day came before an array of the high and the mighty who rose to their feet in a shouting ovation as Nixon introduced the three Yanks back from the moon. Armstrong said they carried a plaque to the moon saying they came in peace tor all mankind. "PERHAPS IN TIIE third millenia a wayward stranger will read that plaque at Tranquility Base." he said. '"Let historv record that this was the age in which that became a fact." ' ' 'T was struck this morning in New York by a scribbled r-ign. 'Through You We Touched the Moon.' "' Then he looked at the audience: "Through YOU we touched the moon. It was our privilege today to cross the country to touch America." Aldrin said he hoped the Might of American Eagle to the moi'.n carrying an olive branch would inspire a new generation.' "There are footprints on the moon," lie said. ' Thos? ' footprints belong to each and every one of us, to all mankind, and they are Ihei'e because of the blood, sweat and tears of millions of people. The footprints are the symbol of true human spirit." THE MEDAL OF Freedom, highest award the United States can give a civilian, was accompanied by a citation read by Vice President Spiro Agnew. "Your contributions will be remembered as leng as men wonder and dream and search for truth on this planet and among the stars," it read. A posthumous award of the Distinguished Service Medal of NASA was made to three astronauts who lost their lives rn an Apollo launching pad Virgil I. Grissom. Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee. Nixon hailed the thousands who contributed to the space program and singled out to receive a group achievement award 26-year-old Steven Bales who in his flight control post made the vital decision to advise Armstrong to go ahead with the moon landing when the computer sent a false warning signal. NIXON, REAMING with pride, proposed the. toast to 1he astronauts. "I say simply to three astronauts we thank you for your courage, we thank you for raising cur sights of men and women throughout the world," he said. "The sky is no longer the limit and we thank you for the tine young men you are, line examples for young people all ever the world." Michael Collins replied: "Mr. President, here stands a proud American, proud to hp a member of the Apollo team, proud to be a citizen of the l.'nited States of America which nearly a decade ago said it would land men on the moon and did so. proud to be an inhabitant of this most magnificent planet." NIXON. INTRODUCED and had stand ior warm applause some of the distinguished guests in the glittering ballroom of the Century Plaza Hotel where the dinner was nationally televised. THERE HAVE BEEN gala Presidential affairs before, particularly in the Truman and Kennedy administrations, but the dinner in Los Angeles was the most glittering bash See Apollo on A-8. Col. 1 1' I ,' i i fit I i ft ill j! 77 TO I JL cms world tour readied for trio 1 J upi Raoiopi-.oio President Nixon presents Medals of Freedom lo Collins. Aldrin and Armstrong a Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Collins applaud the astronauts. LOS ANGELES iL'Pli " The Apollo 11 moon travelers will undoubtedly make a worldwide tour this fall, the chief spokesman for the space agency said last night. Julian Scheer said officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are drawing up an itinerary for the trip and it will be submitted to President Nixon in about a week. St heer said h was confident that the President would gie his approval for the trip, particularly in view of the excitement over the moon landing that he found in the foreign nations he visited on his own recent tour. SCHEER SAID many countries already have indicated to the State Department that they would welcome a visit by the Apollo 11 crew. Neil A. Armstrong. Edwin Aldrin Jr. snd Michael Collin. He inrjeatrd that tht tnp probably would be scheduled sometime between Sept. 10 when the astronauts address Congress and Nov. 11. the date Apollo 12 is scheduled to be launched for its moon voyage. Scheer predicted tb receptions for the moon travelers in foreign countries would be "four times as great" as t h tanta-tic crowds that lined th streets of New York and Chicago rster-riav. never been an affair lihe litis dinner party wei protected by the L. A, police By WILLIAM ENDICOTT I os Anftele J inies .SrrtrV LOS ANGELES "There's never hecn an affair exactly like this." The speaker was Jack Collins, deputy chief of the Patrol Bureau for the Los Angeles Police Department. It had to be the understatement of a busy day. AS COLLINS talked, -cures of unif'ji ip.cd officers took up stations outside the Century Plaza Ilutel here ti assure no interference with one of the biggest dinner parlies in Los Angeles history. It was. of course. President Nixon's slate dinner for the Apollo 11 astronauts, with a guest list that represented an almost unprecedented assemblage of public figures. "We prefer not to discuss ;;;ecilic numbers, " sa id Collins, '"but we have in excess of 2i Kf officers on d,uf.y.',, POLICING. OUTSIDE fhe hotel was the responsibility of the Los Angeles Police Department. Swarms of Secret Service men circulated inside the hotel. "We've been working on plans ever since the day it was announced they were going to hae the dinner here." said Collins. He said he first Icarncj r-f the possibility of such a dinner the day the President greeted the astronauts Neil A. Armstrong. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins aboard the L'SS Hornet. T saw it on television, and the President said something then about the dinner in Los Ane'cs." said OUms. Thi. was July 24. THIS IX tvnical of m im of persons such as the. President," said the ciiiof. "You don't get a lot of advance notice." The fact that the President and the astronauts arrived st the hotel by helicopter com?-what lessened Collins' prob- See Secnritv on A-4. Col. 8 sanctuary role defined by church Also. see Page E-l The executive board of the Church of the Crossroads last night set forth its policy in granting sanctuary to AWOL military personnel and said, "Our sanctuary is committed to a nonviolent form of resistance. " The policy statement was read by the Rev. Mitsuo Aoki. moderator, who said it was the result of two months of discussions by the 13-member executive board. Asked if he thought there might be resentment in the community over the church's role in welcoming 12 AWOL servicemen, Aoki said. "I'm not aware of it. but I'm sure there must be." Asked if the church would continue to welcome AWOL servicemen, Aoki said it would. Asked how many it would he said he . ::- r : c' s'i : 4 mrw It ' '1 '- : 1 : k' . '' - " 'I if i: 4 v s- . . - i'"7 ; , :'"-': 1 ' ' another 1 mm money f ffl 11 tfiif rf f 1 1 II III lJ I 114 III By WILLIAM HELTON Advertiser Srifitcm U'ritrr . Ronald Ogasawara, a : ': 24-year-old University of . . Hawaii student, received : a new kidney yesterday :: in Hawaii's second trans-plant operation at St. rrancis Hospital. A It was r.ol known who the donor was. Sifter Maureen, administrator .; at the hospital, would not ;. say. .. However, she reported r ' : physicians were "observ- ' i' ing closely" and watch- ; ing for signs for rejection ; L in James J. Carroll, of : .; fG4 Maluniu Ave. Carroll ; Sunday received a kidney : ; : from his brother, Thom- : 4 as M. Carroll, of 830 Ma-. : luuiu Ave. Tliey were re- : doing "vcrv