Ohio astronauts to get Congressional Gold Medal
Dayton Daily News – More than 42 years after they took the Apollo 11 to the moon, Neil Amstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins will be honored for their achievement with a Congressional Gold Medal.
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, will also be honored for his achievements.
The four astronauts — Armstrong and Glenn are native Ohioans, and Glenn is a former U.S. senator for Ohio — will be honored at a ceremony in the Rotunda of Congress at 11 a.m. today. Among those who plan to attend the ceremony are House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
Portman will host a breakfast for Armstrong and Glenn prior to the ceremony.
“I’m honored to call these two men friends, and am so thrilled to see their immeasurable contributions to Ohio and the nation given the respect they deserve,” he said.
Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7 in February 1962. Seven years later, Armstrong and Collins were the first humans to set foot on the moon while Collins piloted Apollo 11’s command module.
