Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite was a Liberal and made no bones about it and although I had little to agree with him about while he was alive I have very vivid memories as a child watching many historical events unfold with Walter at the helm of CBS news. This was back in a time when you had NBC, CBS or ABC to watch...oh yes and where I lived CTV which was a Canadian network.

So while he and I were opposed politically as I grew up and became more Conservative I still remember his emotions when Armstrong put his foot on the moon. It was an amazing spectacle and his coverage made it feel that much more important in my eyes. I really was glued to the TV and even watching it today gives me chills. For that matter, watching Apollo 13 still gives me chills...the one with Tom Hanks that is. It's one of my favorite movies even though I know how it turns out every time I watch it. The feelings of pride in being an American while these accomplishments were attained may never be recaptured for me in quite the same way.

Another very poignant event was that of John F Kennedy's assassination and the funeral that followed. It was an emotional time for many Americans and I make no apologies for tearing up when I heard the news. Walter Cronkite's raw emotions showed as he announced the shocking news and I think he mirrored most everyone else in our country at that time. It was a sad time but it also was a very clear display of how our country's system of government could go into action and make a peaceful and orderly transition of power. I'm not so sure that things would happen as smoothly in our modern era.

So this blog is really to say one thing to Walter Cronkite, may he rest in peace, and that is thank you. As a child during those very significant historical events you made me sit up and take notice. Whether or not I agreed with you later in life is not the point here. The point is to say God bless you and keep you in the palm of his hand.