DEATH OF A HERO – AT 10:48 A.M. ET:  We used to have heroes.  We still do, but the smug set goes out of its way not to recognize them.  So middle class, you know.

John Glenn, who has just died, was a hero, and one of the most heartfelt tributes came from his fellow Ohioans.  From the Columbus Dispatch: 

His legend is otherworldly and now, at age 95, so is John Glenn.

An authentic hero and genuine American icon, Glenn died this afternoon surrounded by family at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus after a remarkably healthy life spent almost from the cradle with Annie, his beloved wife of 73 years, who survives.

He, along with fellow aviators Orville and Wilbur Wright and moon-walker Neil Armstrong, truly made Ohio first in flight.

“John Glenn is, and always will be, Ohio’s ultimate hometown hero, and his passing today is an occasion for all of us to grieve," said Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich. "As we bow our heads and share our grief with his beloved wife, Annie, we must also turn to the skies, to salute his remarkable journeys and his long years of service to our state and nation.

"Though he soared deep into space and to the heights of Capitol Hill, his heart never strayed from his steadfast Ohio roots. Godspeed, John Glenn!" Kasich said.

COMMENT:  I recall the early days of the space program and electric feelings it brought to America.  I recall how crowds would stand in Grand Central Station in New York to watch, on a huge screen, as Americans, including John Glenn, were launched into space.

When Obama took office he reportedly told the head of NASA that his main job was Muslim outreach.  No previous president thought that way.  And I hope no future president does.

Public interest in our space program has faded over the years.  I hope President Trump can relight the fire, and that a new generation of John Glenns can become the new American heroes.

December 9, 2016