Fifty years ago today...............

**Ray1936** · July-21-19, 05:03 PM

.............was July 21, 1969, and it was one heck of a day for me. Apollo 11? No, despite its historical significance, it took second place for me that day. For on that date I was promoted from Patrolman [[Oh, God! No! I failed to use the politically correct "Police Officer".....but that's what we were called back then!) to Detective. It was a great ceremony headed by the Mayor [[I don't recall who it was back then, and too lazy to look it up); the Common Council; and Police Commissioner Johannes Spreen [[remember him? One of the carpetbaggers from NYC.) Anyway, went through the well-attended ceremony, then the wife and I with our new-badged colleagues headed for the Lindell AC, where we closed the joint up at 2:30 a.m. Which was nasty, because I had to report for my first new day at work at the 10th [[Livernois) Precinct Detective Bureau at 8:00 a.m. But I made it, hangover and all.

That's the good part. The bad part is that I really missed all the live TV coverage of Apollo 11, but hey. Ain't that life?

**Danny** · July-21-19, 05:06 PM

50 years later..... no man on the moon, no man on Mars, No man another planet. So are we exploring space or we're just looking at space through telescopes?

**Ray1936** · July-21-19, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

50 years later..... no man on the moon, no man on Mars, No man another planet. So are we exploring space or we're just looking at space through telescopes?

Lot of folks today asking that question, Danny. But I took up space in grade school.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · July-22-19, 07:11 AM

Cavanagh was mayor in 1969 Ray, to refresh your memory.

**Ray1936** · July-22-19, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Cavanagh was mayor in 1969 Ray, to refresh your memory.

Right. How soon we forget!

**Meddle** · July-22-19, 12:37 PM

Ahh, but where was John Nichols then?

**bust** · July-22-19, 02:03 PM

Ray, thank you for sharing your memories. Please share many more.

Your thoughts inspired me to think the following:

Do we really need another space race?

If swords into plowshares made actual economic sense we should be investing in plowshares to make swords.

**Ray1936** · July-22-19, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Ahh, but where was John Nichols then?

John had been a detective lieutenant at #10 before I got there, but by my time he was an inspector in administration. Got to know him and his wife, Jean, farily well in later days.

**Danny** · July-22-19, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by bust

Ray, thank you for sharing your memories. Please share many more.

Your thoughts inspired me to think the following:

Do we really need another space race?

If swords into plowshares made actual economic sense we should be investing in plowshares to make swords.

There is no other space race. The United States won, getting a man on the moon was the grand prize and our trophy. The U.S. Flag is up there collecting solar radiation and other cosmic rays filling up with holes from tiny rocks along with the lunar landing craft. Our space program is now a corporate matter not the government. Corporations will call the shots who goes up in space and explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.

indeed!

**Danny** · July-22-19, 05:00 PM

Today NASA is just a tourist destination and a science museum joining Space X corporation to take our 'Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon along with Captain Bebop and Buzz Lightyear' out to space.