THE CREW OF APOLLO 8: CHRISTMAS EVE 1968

Readers will recall that for this year’s Thanksgiving message, we turned the page back to 1968 for the proclamation issued that year by President Lyndon Johnson. Even in a time plagued by war, unrest, and division, Johnson reminded the nation to not overlook all that was good. Inspired by the recent success of the Artemis 1 mission to lunar orbit, we will continue the theme of 1968 for our annual holiday message. That year ended with the historic Apollo 8 mission, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. During their return to Earth, astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders broadcast a televised greeting from space that was the most watched television program to that time. As the first humans to ever leave low Earth orbit and thus to be able to look back at our world in its entirety, they had a truly unprecedented vantage from which to bring good tidings to all. Though the words come from a specific religious text and tradition which these men shared, when placed in the context of that epic journey and the unsettled time at home, the underlying message seems to transcend any specific set of beliefs and speak to a perhaps common sense of awe and wonder when faced with the vastness of space and the universe. In that spirit, we share the Apollo 8 message in its written form and as a podcast with the original recording available on the podcatcher of your choice. And so to close the year, we here at War Room wish that you and yours may find a brief distraction from your troubles and a sense of hope and wonder like those of the Apollo 8 astronauts for what is still to come. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2023.