This morning I continued my annual Thanksgiving tradition of
running a 5K. It wasn’t an official
race, but I ran it anyway. No cheering crowds or official timers, just me and the pounding of my feet on the trail. There is a
wonderful trail here in Clinton called the Discovery Trail. It’s a running/biking trail along the Mississippi
River.
The trail is dedicated to three astronauts from the Clinton area; Cmdr.
Dale A. Gardner (U.S. Navy), Dr. George D. (Pinky) Nelson and Col. David C.
Hilmers (U.S. Marine Corps). I only
ran 3.1 miles of the trail, but it stretches 14 miles along the
riverfront.
Often, we take for granted things that others have
sacrificed greatly for. As I was running, I thought about those who
sacrifice for our freedom. I was
thinking about those astronauts who worked so hard to achieve their goal of
becoming an astronaut. They sacrificed
and served our country in ways we may never now. Likewise, many in my family have served in
the military. Whether in the US Army or
the US Navy, my family has been well represented in this fashion. They have made sacrifices that we may never
know of as well.
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| One of the lighthouses along the Discovery Trail |
While running, I passed by other runners
and walkers enjoying the trail. It was
quite chilly but everyone I passed had a wonderful smile on their face. While
running, I decided to research these three astronauts.
George Nelson flew on Challenger, Columbia,
and Discovery. He received several
medals from NASA for his work as an astronaut.
Dale Gardner flew on the Challenger and Discovery. He completed two space walks for a total of
12 hours. His work helped salvage two satellites. He received recognition from the Department
of Defense and several commendations from NASA.
David Hilmers has logged over 493 hours of space flight on
Atlantis and Discovery. He was part of a
classified mission and during other missions he completed at least 66
experiments while in space.
These men dedicated their lives to something bigger than
themselves. Yes, they received commendations,
awards, and had the experience of being in space, which very few people have
done. But they still dedicated themselves to serve a higher purpose.
I’ve learned a couple of things. One, when you commit yourself to something,
go after it with all you have. These
guys reached the height of their careers because they made the effort to do
so. We can each accomplish great things
when we set our minds to do so.
Two,
take the time to learn about your surroundings.
I have been aware of this trail for some time and have even ran it a couple
of times before. But I never took the
time to research these astronauts. There
may be people from your hometown that have done great things that will inspire
you.
