master's degree in aeronautical engineering. When NASA had announced in 1964 it was looking for more astronauts, Carr had applied ore out of a passing curiosity than any real expectation of acceptance. He was astonished when he was picked for the program in 1966. His initial astronaut training complete, he was assigned as support crew to Apollo 8.
Besides giving Borman the football scores, however, Carr also noted that the only real news (outside of the Apollo 8 mission) was that the crew of the Pueblo had finally been released. Eleven months earlier, the U.S.S. Pueblo and its eighty-two crew members had been seized by North Korean gunboats. The ship, a reconnaissance vessel doing surveillance in international waters, had been boarded and one man killed. The rest of the crew was taken to a prison camp in North Korea. 12
The crew had been tortured and forced to issue false public confessions. Now, in order to obtain the release of the men, the U.S. negotiator had agreed to sign a document admitting to U.S. espionage in North Korean waters, even though the negotiator called the document a lie even as he stood there signing it. "Apparently the North Koreans believe
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there is propaganda value even in a worthless document," said Secretary of State Dean Rusk. 13
Carr described to Borman how the Pueblo crew was released. "It took about thirty minutes for all eighty-two men to come across the Bridge of No Return, that's the one separating North and South Korea . . . They brought the body of the crewman that was killed also."
Then Carr gave Borman some football scores, and soon the conversation drifted to the weather. "It's beginning to feel like winter again," Carr noted.
"Good time for Christmas," Borman mused. "Good weather for Christmas."
Carr felt a need to talk some more. "Frank, we had a little eggnog over at Charlie Duke's tonight. Val Anders dropped by. She's looking fine. Tell Bill she's doing real fine."
"Fine." There was a long thirty second pause, and then Borman spoke up. "How do you like shift work, Jerry?"
"It's great, Frank. You've got the Black Watch watching you tonight." The Black Team was the official name for Carr's shift, because they were scheduled to work mostly late night hours.
"Yes, that's what I figured." There was another long pause, this time lasting more than two minutes. Borman sat and stared at his tiny home planet, far, far away. The conversation with Jerry Carr had made him think of Susan and his family. He struggled to think of other things.
He thought of the Pueblo . Borman felt, as did many military men, that the Pueblo's captain had surrendered too easily the previous year. Anders, for example, remembered how in China his badly wounded father and his crew had refused to capitulate, fighting until the Panay was sunk.
Borman thought of the Pueblo crew's imprisonment, torture, and release, and how those men would now be able to celebrate Christmas with their families. He stared out the window. He could almost feel the vast black emptiness of space that surrounded the earth. The vastness seemed to press down on him like a terrible weight. He exhaled. "Boy, Jerry. That earth is sure looking small."
Page 69
Carr could only agree. "Roger. I guess it'll get smaller too."
Sunday, December 22nd, 1968 was coming to an end.
Page 71
Chapter Four
"We Stand for Freedom."
Berlin
At About 1 AM on the night of August 13th, 1961, the streets of the Soviet zone of Berlin were filled with the roar of vehicles. Hundreds of East German trucks, escorted by Soviet tanks, were on the move, converging on the perimeter of the American, British, and French zones of West Berlin.
At the same time, all subway trains attempting to cross the border between East and West Berlin were stopped, their passengers forced to disembark and find other ways home. Even the trains that only cut through East Berlin on their way from one part of West Berlin to another were emptied of passengers before being allowed to
Besides giving Borman the football scores, however, Carr also noted that the only real news (outside of the Apollo 8 mission) was that the crew of the Pueblo had finally been released. Eleven months earlier, the U.S.S. Pueblo and its eighty-two crew members had been seized by North Korean gunboats. The ship, a reconnaissance vessel doing surveillance in international waters, had been boarded and one man killed. The rest of the crew was taken to a prison camp in North Korea. 12
The crew had been tortured and forced to issue false public confessions. Now, in order to obtain the release of the men, the U.S. negotiator had agreed to sign a document admitting to U.S. espionage in North Korean waters, even though the negotiator called the document a lie even as he stood there signing it. "Apparently the North Koreans believe
Page 68
there is propaganda value even in a worthless document," said Secretary of State Dean Rusk. 13
Carr described to Borman how the Pueblo crew was released. "It took about thirty minutes for all eighty-two men to come across the Bridge of No Return, that's the one separating North and South Korea . . . They brought the body of the crewman that was killed also."
Then Carr gave Borman some football scores, and soon the conversation drifted to the weather. "It's beginning to feel like winter again," Carr noted.
"Good time for Christmas," Borman mused. "Good weather for Christmas."
Carr felt a need to talk some more. "Frank, we had a little eggnog over at Charlie Duke's tonight. Val Anders dropped by. She's looking fine. Tell Bill she's doing real fine."
"Fine." There was a long thirty second pause, and then Borman spoke up. "How do you like shift work, Jerry?"
"It's great, Frank. You've got the Black Watch watching you tonight." The Black Team was the official name for Carr's shift, because they were scheduled to work mostly late night hours.
"Yes, that's what I figured." There was another long pause, this time lasting more than two minutes. Borman sat and stared at his tiny home planet, far, far away. The conversation with Jerry Carr had made him think of Susan and his family. He struggled to think of other things.
He thought of the Pueblo . Borman felt, as did many military men, that the Pueblo's captain had surrendered too easily the previous year. Anders, for example, remembered how in China his badly wounded father and his crew had refused to capitulate, fighting until the Panay was sunk.
Borman thought of the Pueblo crew's imprisonment, torture, and release, and how those men would now be able to celebrate Christmas with their families. He stared out the window. He could almost feel the vast black emptiness of space that surrounded the earth. The vastness seemed to press down on him like a terrible weight. He exhaled. "Boy, Jerry. That earth is sure looking small."
Page 69
Carr could only agree. "Roger. I guess it'll get smaller too."
Sunday, December 22nd, 1968 was coming to an end.
Page 71
Chapter Four
"We Stand for Freedom."
Berlin
At About 1 AM on the night of August 13th, 1961, the streets of the Soviet zone of Berlin were filled with the roar of vehicles. Hundreds of East German trucks, escorted by Soviet tanks, were on the move, converging on the perimeter of the American, British, and French zones of West Berlin.
At the same time, all subway trains attempting to cross the border between East and West Berlin were stopped, their passengers forced to disembark and find other ways home. Even the trains that only cut through East Berlin on their way from one part of West Berlin to another were emptied of passengers before being allowed to
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