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Challenger Disaster 25th Anniversary

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Brewpastor

Beer, not rocket chemistry
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Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. I have been asked to speak at a ceremony commemorating the event. It will involve relatives and friends of the crew. I am nervous about my role and so I am asking for feedback on what I have prepared.

Thanks in advance...


We who have gathered here today have done so to honor and pay tribute to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger. We are here to remember their sacrifice and that of their loved ones whose lives were forever changed by their tragic deaths. We gather too to celebrate that piece of the human spirit, which they personified and for which their ship and this center were named: Challenger.

25 years ago, on the night of the Challenger disaster, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the American people. It was to have been a State of the Union address, but our president, our Commander in Chief, chose to speak words of comfort and challenge instead. Speaking to the children of our nation, Mr. Reagan said, “I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.”

Today we recognize the legacy we have received from the Challenger Seven and all those, who like them, rose to face the challenges of their day. Our prayer is that we will not be limited by fear and small expectations but will have the faith and the courage to face the challenges of our day.

As we pause today, let us remember that reaching for the stars is always an option. Indeed it is our responsibility to keep the horizons of imagination and possibility open and broad, so each generation will receive their opportunity to seize the new day that dawns for them.

The crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger expanded our horizons as they reached for the stars and so we honor and pay tribute to Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, Judy Resnik, Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Greg Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe, who "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
 
Thanks. They told me I had 3 - 5 minutes. So I had to pack it tight. I just don't want to offend the audience in some unexpected way.
 
Wow - I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was in 6th grade and the entire school was watching it live because of the teacher being on board.
 
Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. I have been asked to speak at a ceremony commemorating the event. It will involve relatives and friends of the crew. I am nervous about my role and so I am asking for feedback on what I have prepared.

Thanks in advance...
Well written! It's a wonderful speech.

Personally, I would make one small change. I would change the line "We gather too to celebrate..." to "We also gather to celebrate...". In type, the words suss themselves out, but in speech it might seem muddled. Just my $0.02.

Again, WELL DONE!

Aside, I'll never forget that day. I was in 4th grade, and we were allowed to watch on television. I will also never forget that night, when at the dinner table my dad said, "if they called me tomorrow, I'd train and go on a space shuttle". He was serious.

Thanks for enlightening us!
 
Again, thank you. It is hard to believe 25 years have gone that quickly. It is one of those "I remember where I was" events.
 
Yeah, that was a big deal for me in grade school too. Both my wife and I remember watching it. I think it read very nice and well rounded.
 
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