On July 20, 1969 – 55 years ago this month – astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first earthling to set foot on the moon. The words he uttered as he descended from Apollo XI’s lunar module, dubbed “The Eagle,” still resonate
“That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”
David Lewis, a 79-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran and resident of the Veterans Home of California-Lancaster, remembers the moment well. It represents a big step in his fascination with space flight that began during his youth.
“I was in middle school when Alan Shepherd became the first American in space,” Lewis said, referring to Shepherd’s solo Mercury flight in 1961. “I was always interested in it.”
The space program compelled the Los Angeles native to join the Air Force, serving stateside from 1968 until 1972. While stationed at Patrick Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida, Lewis enjoyed a ringside seat, serving in a support role on the team that launched Apollo XI from Cape Canaveral on July 16, 1969: The first moonwalk mission.
Patrick AFB is headquarters for the 45th Space Wing and the Eastern Test Range, which includes Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Lewis and others were transported to various vantage points within six miles of the launch pad, just as they had witnessed the Apollo X launch two months earlier.
“I was there as an observer,” Lewis said. “[For Apollo XI] I was about three miles away. For Apollo X, I was about six miles away. The only human beings within three miles of the launch pad were the astronauts themselves.”
What, beyond the historical context, stood out most about those launches? For one, Lewis said, it was seeing the snail’s-pace “crawler” that moved the rocket to the launch pad.
“Top speed was one mile per hour,” Lewis said. “I got to see them roll out the launch vehicle.”
During liftoff, the thundering thrust of the Saturn V rocket shook the ground for many miles in all directions.
“The power of the launch was overwhelming,” Lewis said. “The interior of your body just vibrated. It’s the same as a horrible auto sound system 30 feet away, but we were miles away and it felt like that.”
The liftoff also created bursts of steam that engulfed the rocket as hundreds of thousands of gallons of water confronted its 2,500-degree Fahrenheit flames in the cooling process designed to protect the launch pad surfaces.
Lewis said he watched Armstrong’s moonwalk four days later on television after returning to Patrick AFB with a certificate acknowledging his role. He cherishes that document as much for a signature it bears as he does that it confirms that his participation on the Apollo XI team.
“It’s signed by General Jones,” Lewis bragged.
Major General David M. Jones, one of the last members of the Army’s horse cavalry, traded his saddle for a joystick as an Army Air Corps pilot. He volunteered for Doolittle’s Raid on Tokyo in 1942, ditching his plane in China, where locals helped him return to the U.S. Later that year, he was shot down over North Africa. He spent the remainder of World War II as a POW at Germany’s infamous Stalag Luft III. There, he orchestrated the breakouts of Allied servicemen from the prison — an event that became the basis for the 1963 film, “The Great Escape,” starring Steve McQueen.
Jones commanded the Eastern Test Range from 1967 until his retirement in 1973. Lewis said he was in awe of Jones during the launch assignments even though their ranks (Lewis’ highest was Staff Sergeant, E-5) limited much direct interaction.
“I maybe spoke to him only once or twice,” Lewis said. “To the supervisor who was the Tech Sergeant (E-6), I was ‘enlisted swine.’”
Lewis said he felt the same combination of awe and pride as most other Americans when Armstrong and fellow crewmember Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped out of the Eagle and onto the surface of the moon four days after the launch. By that time, Lewis had returned to Patrick AFB.
The Apollo XI crew returned to earth on July 24, with the Command and Service Module “Columbia” splashing down in the Pacific Ocean 920 miles southwest of Honolulu. There, the crew of the USS Hornet fished them out of the water as President Nixon waited on board to welcome them. (The USS Hornet Museum will commemorate the 55th anniversary of the moonwalk with a special event aboard the carrier in Alameda on July 20; learn more at uss-hornet.org/calendar/splashdown-55-apollo-11-anniversary)
Lewis left the Air Force when his enlistment ended in 1972. He returned to Southern California where he used his GI Bill benefits to attend college at Cal State-Fullerton and then became a radio broadcaster at a station in Palmdale.
Working near astronauts and commentators Wally Schirra and Deke Slayton, Lewis covered the second space shuttle landing at Edwards Air Force Base near Lancaster in 1981. But new management of the station demanded so much of him that he quit after just a year.
“I was so exhausted that I stayed in bed for a week,” Lewis said. “After that, I got a job that was not challenging in any way. I began picking up peoples’ pets and taking them to the groomers.”
His clientele included Mission: Impossible TV series stars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, and actor George Pelling (101 Dalmatians, D-Day), among others. Lewis moved into the Lancaster Veterans Home in 2023.
“I had some hard times,” he said. “I didn’t end up retiring with a nest egg. I feel blessed to be here.”
Today, he enjoys the security of living at the Veterans Home. He also feels fortunate to have witnessed the Apollo XI launch in person 55 years ago this month, and has the certificate to prove it.
“Everybody in the organization got one of those,” Lewis said. “It’s still a matter of pride.”
And history.
The Veterans Homes of California system of care offers affordable long-term care to older and disabled veterans as well as their eligible spouses and domestic partners. With eight facilities across the state, the services offered range from assisted living programs with minimal support to 24-hour skilled nursing care for veterans with significant clinical needs including memory care.
For more information on the Homes visit www.calvet.ca.gov/calvet-programs/veteran-homes.
Would you like the opportunity to serve veterans in your work? Join the CalVet team! We are dedicated to ensuring that veterans from every era, along with their families, receive the state and federal benefits and services they have earned and deserve due to their selfless and honorable military service. See our current career opportunities at www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalVet.
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