The Hidden Truth Behind a Legendary Astronaut's Public Life

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In this episode, Ward talks with the author of "Far Side of the Moon," the story of astronaut Frank Borman and his wife Susan and the challenges they faced both at NASA and at home.

[@jshepard152]

Borman passed today, aged 95. He was a faithful husband, an Air Force test pilot, a patriot, and an astronaut. He was a man who helped NASA rebuild after the Apollo 1 fire, and the man they chose to command the very first human flight to the Moon in 1968. I saw him in 2018 and he was still sharp, mobile, and funny as ever. Rest in peace to a pioneer, American hero, and absolute legend of aviation.

[@dahawk8574]

"... and the man they chose to command the very first human flight to the Moon in 1968." Borman was not the _first_ choice. Ward does not mention that fact. These authors do not mention that fact. Borman was the second choice. The first to accept the offer.

[@dahawk8574]

16:34 - Michael's explanation is way off base. If he had thoroughly researched this, he would have known very well the reason why Borman was not the first choice to command Apollo 8 to the Moon. Here he has told a bogus, inaccurate story.

[@mateostaplez7497]

Ward, I've been subscribed for about a year and have never commented, but this video really struck a chord with me. I was an USAF brat born in 1957 to a SAC B-52 pilot and lived in the spartan conditions you described on the postwar AF Bases. Obviously, dad was mostly absentee with the mole hole, airborne alert and Chrome Dome missions. With 4 small children within 5 years and not much support, my mom became a severe alcoholic after my oldest brother drowned. I'll be 65 this month and it effects me to this day. Another chord was struck when you imagined how loud the Saturn V would've been. That same mom, when my father was overseas during Vietnam, brought my two siblings and I to the Apollo 11 moon launch. We were probably over 2 miles away on the side of a two-lane blacktop, but when the Saturn V ignited and launched it almost bounced me off the ground with a seismic ground roll. My abdomen oscillated like a drum for what seemed like several minutes. When we walked back to the car about 100 yards away and turned on the radio, the launch vehicle was already over Africa. Then the announcer was saying that an Oakland As Rookie named Reggie Jackson was on pace to break Roger Maris' single season homerun record... I was 12 at the time, but I'll never forget it until the day I die.

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

Thanks for sharing that.

[@SuperTalleyho]

Awesome comment.

[@tigershoot]

Very interesting comment. You are very lucky to have seen the most famous rocket launch in history. Sorry about your brother. Very sad.

[@jaybee9269]

Great comment…it must have been quite awful having your dad so busy like that. Much enjoyed hearing about the Saturn V, though! I’d give my left nut to see one go up.

[@jonniez62]

I was a SAC brat born in 62 at Larson.

[@jshepard152]

I saw Frank Borman a couple years ago at Oshkosh on the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8. At that event, he read the passage from Genesis that the astronauts read while in orbit around the moon at Christmas, 1968. It still gives me chills to think about it. As old as he is, Borman is still very sharp, and mobile. He's an inspiration, for a lot of different reasons.

[@genearbogast7525]

Thank You for this personal and in depth history...... My father {USAAC} worked for Eastern Airlines for 37 years and educated us on the history of officers like Rickenbacker. Borman. Bong. Boyington,Yeager and others.....ALL of the Astronauts and Aviator veterans are heroes to us.....

[@UtSlpilot]

Just by accident I had the opportunity to meet Col. Borman at an off-beat Cracker Barrel and he was extremely cordial, inquisitive, and very pleasant to talk with. It will be a memory I cherish the rest of my life. Thanks Ward, for doing this video!

[@UtSlpilot]

@Amy Taylor sorry, your email didn’t work. I tried to contact you.

[@dks13827]

in Montana ? or New Mexico ?

[@navigator5426]

Your content just keeps getting better. There are not enough words to describe how relevant this post is not just for today but for all time. There's still today, from what I've seen, a lot of misperceptions about being a military spouse. I wish everyone would see this post as there's an air of misunderstanding about being a Serviceman or Servicewoman's Spouse and this post just shatters those misconceptions. Imho this post is award worthy. And Frank Boreman and his Wife's story should be made into a movie. A Collosal Bravo Zulu to you and your guests on this post. Brilliant!!!!!.

[@scottcooper4391]

Long ago, I was told that "military marriages either last forever or fall apart faster than others", and as I have met other service couples, they generally agree.

[@evhvariac2]

Not enough words??

[@ahcollier1]

Mooch, great episode. Thanks for bringing this to us. I too grew up in a Naval Aviation family in the 70s, with the sub-standard living conditions, small pay, the car that kept breaking down, lack of services on base, etc. My mom was one of those women who kept it all together while my Dad deployed over and over again. Things got a lot better in the 80s following transition to the all volunteer military, and it's easy to forget how bad it was then and how much better we had it on active duty in the 90s, '00s and beyond. If you're a military brat of that era, kiss your mom if you can and thank her for what she went through to support Dad and keep it all together. It's no joke when they say "Navy Wife: the toughest job in the Navy."

[@kqschwarz]

I was born in 1957 and grew up on USAF bases in the late 50's and early 60's. The astronauts were my heroes and especially Frank Borman. This particular video really hits me personally, both because of my background, but also because I know how important a great wife has been to my success as a physicist, medical engineer and physician. I have always thought I was cognizant of my own wife's sacrifices for me, but this episode caused me to rethink that calculus and appreciate my wife even more. Thank you and your guests for this insightful interview.

[@K27fan]

I spent 41 years at UPS, 3 delivering packages and the rest in tractor trailers. I delivered in southern Calif and there were several small machine shops on my route. Every one of those shops made some kind of screw or part for the Apollo and Space Shuttles. They all had big photos of the Apollo ships in their shops.

[@PRiver-sv2mc]

Being four miles from Pad 39-A for the night launch of Apollo 17, the best description of of the experience is the feeling that you get deep within your being, between the vibration and the overwhelming visual, audible, and mental sensations. Thank you very much for telling Frank & Susan's story.

[@brianarbenz7206]

Wow, Apollo 17's launch. Six and a half million pounds of thrust in the dark of night. I was watching on TV, and stayed tuned during the whole long delay, just to watch that. I was 14. I'd have traded places with you in an instant!

[@paulgush]

Frank Borman, my favorite astronaut. The only one honest enough to say that spaceflight sucks. Crampt, smelly, dangerous, and even pooping is a messy struggle.

[@dahawk8574]

Word is that Charlie Duke told his son Tom that he'd be better off as an F-16 fighter pilot instead of being an astronaut. So Borman isn't the only one who felt this way. What people say in public versus what they say in private are often quite different.

[@joevignolor4u949]

When Frank Borman was at North American trying to straighten out the command module after the Apollo 1 fire he noticed that many workers were lining up at the main gate of the plant at lunch time. He did some snooping and found out that many of them were going to local drinking establishments and having a few drinks during their lunch break. Poor workmanship had been a major cause of the fire. Frank put a policy in place where workers returning from lunch were screened to determine if they had been drinking. People found to have consumed too much alcohol during lunch were not allowed back into the plant. Frank stated that if workers wanted to go and drink during lunch they would not be allowed to work on the spacecraft after lunch. This type of screening for alcohol and drug use at manufacturing plants is still used today. Many places require workers to take a mental agility test every time they enter the plant.

[@TheRetiredtech]

Let's not forget the main reason of the fire was solely on the decision makers a the top of the process. Oxygen ring a bell.

[@tigershoot]

@@TheRetiredtech Surely the main reason for the fire was poor workmanship. There would have been no fire if the electrics hadn't shorted.

[@TheRetiredtech]

@@tigershoot no there would have been a spark sometime They don't yet today know where the spark was from.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@TheRetiredtech If there was no oxygen in the command module the crew would have died from lack of oxygen. So they had to have oxygen in the command module. The problem was that on the day of the test the spacecraft had been pumped up to almost 20 psi to simulate it being in space. As such everything inside became saturated with oxygen, which made it burn easily. The decision to use pure oxygen in the command module was an engineering trade off. A two gas oxygen/nitrogen system was considered but was rejected because it would have added too much weight to the vehicle. Even after the fire they still used a pure oxygen system but there was air in the cabin prior to launch to lessen the fire risk. Then during launch the air was purged out and replaced with pure oxygen at about 5 psi.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@TheRetiredtech While the exact location of the spark isn't known the general area of the ignition was determined. You said, "no there would have been a spark sometime". No, there should never have been any arcing or sparking in the wiring anywhere at any time. The fact that there was a spark was attributed to poor design and workmanship. The wire bundles in that area were allowed to be in direct contact with the metal structure of the spacecraft. They had been tightly squeezed in there and the insulation had gotten chafed off. Then one of the damaged wires caused the spark. After the fire the technique used to install the wiring was changed so that the wires were kept away from any solid metal parts that could damage the insulation.

[@georgemacdonell2341]

I'm almost 70, from central fla. and grew up with rockets. I agree those were heady days that made you proud to be an American. I do miss those times when we had a can-do attitude.

[@rockbutcher]

Thanks again Ward for presenting wonderful, thoughtful conversation on a subject that so many of us knew nothing about. I was just a wee lad when Neill walked on the moon, but I remember my Dad grabbing me and holding me between his knees as he sat in the livingroom, forcing me to watch the tv telling me to, "watch this. This is history." That's one of my youngest memories being a '67 baby.

[@oldgoat142]

I was 6 years old when I saw that first step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. Those were turbulent, heady times.

[@olentangy74]

Another tremendous interview, Ward. As a child of the sixties, I grew up with the space program. I was in elementary school during Gemini and if a launch happened during school, then class was put on hold and out came the TV’s. They were truly national events. A truly different day and time and a different America. The HBO series From the Earth to The Moon is the best series done on the moon race. I was living in Orlando Fl during the shooting of the series and had the privilege of being part of the production. I met Cary Ewles, who portrayed Mike Collins. The most memorable person I met was Apollo 15 commander David Scott who was technical advisor for the series.

[@wdavidson729]

The week of the Apollo 11 landing, I was in Farragut, Idaho at the 1969 National Boy Scout Jamboree. I remember Frank Borman speaking to us about the same time as the first steps were being taken on the moon by Neil and Buzz. I never saw the actual first steps live but did get to hear an inspiring speech from Frank Borman!

[@sunhawk61]

Outstanding interview Ward. You pull another great show together. Frank and his wife, are just examples of your typical American military man and his wife. On the outside its all glory and glamorous that everyone can see. On the inside, its real life, not fantasy or make believe. No Camelot thats for sure. In years past, the military did not treat personnel or their families well, officer or enlisted, nit that its much better today I am sure. As you said, "if you were supposed to have a wife and family, they would be issued".

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

Borman was always all business.. Look at his eyes when he is conducting the investigation into the Apollo one disaster. Guy was a stoic superhero

[@joevignolor4u949]

After Apollo 1 Frank Borman also had to sit in the hot seat in front of a congressional committee and prevent certain politicians from cancelling the Apollo program altogether. Walter Mondale was probably the biggest protagonist who wanted to pull the plug on Apollo but Frank made such a good case for continuing that Mondale and his group failed to stop it.

[@mindeloman]

Lovell said in an interview that when they were on the return trip from the moon, Duke Sleyton had put in locker in the spacecraft some sort of celebratory spirit in 3 small bottles - like 1 shot each. When they looked at Frank, he wasn't having it. Lovell said that mission commander Borman didn't want open bottles of flammable liquid bring consumed. yeah.....all business.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@mindeloman Apparently that's a true story. I've heard it before.

[@Nghilifa]

@@joevignolor4u949 Me too. BTW, have you heard the audio clip of their conversation at the moment that they "discovered" earthrise for the first time in lunar orbit (It wasn't on orbit 1 btw) ? It's a great listen. Borman even says "Don't take that, it's not scheduled" when Anders asks Lovell to hand him a magazine of color film.

[@joevignolor4u949]

@@Nghilifa Yes I've heard that audio.

[@johngeorgegately7402]

Hope you are not getting tired of hearing this, but what you are doing is extraordinary. Thank you

[@goldcfi7103]

Spectacular interview. Those "Greatest Generation" men and women ARE what America is made of!

[@SuperBuzz71]

Great content Ward. I think many of the Gemini and Apollo wives fought through anxiety and I have noticed so many of the Apollo era astronauts ended up with divorces in the early 70’s. I’m always drawn to the story of Ed White’s widow Patricia also. The fact that attention has been given in media to them in movies like “Apollo 13”, and the series and book “Astronaut’s Wife Club”, plus a dedicated episode of Hanks and Howard’s “To the Moon” is very gracious but it makes one wonder and builds appreciation for what the wives and families of Vietnam vets went through at the same time.

[@Riverplacedad1]

My grandmother did sewing for Patricia. A wonderful family and we all grieved that day. Looking back to the 60s, I honestly have never seen any program that compared to our space program. Incredible sacrifice, bravery, and hard work by all involved

[@ku4nz]

wow, what a story, I'm 73, so I sat by the TV watching those rockets the off. Thanks.

[@michellowe8627]

For a better timeline, Roe took place in January 1973. Armstrong & Aldrin walked on the moon in July 1969. Borman, Lovell, and Anders orbited the moon in Apollo 8 Christmas of 1968. One retrospective I saw described the assassinations of King, Kennedy, the Tet offensive in Vietnam: declared that Apollo 8 saved 1968.

[@larrysmith6797]

@@hatdrummer In Ward's video about the movie Final Countdown, Ward refers to Charles Durning as a 'fat actor.' During was an US Army veteran, landed on Omaha Beach in the first wave on D Day, was wounded by a German anti-personnel mine and spent six months in the hospital, participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. All Ward said was Durning was a "fat actor" who used a stuntman to be hoisted via sling into a hovering helicopter. Professional, indeed! Ward is LESS than what he seems to be.

[@dahawk8574]

Recap... Charles Durning lost the Battle of the Bulge.

[@theonlymadmac4771]

Frank Borman was a childhood hero and a role model for me in the 60ies even in Germany. This story revived that.

[@VAhistTeach]

I remember my first time on an airplane I was about 11 or 12, and it was an Eastern Airlines plane. Thanks for sharing this story. We still teach about the importance of the space program, but this is part of the history we told talk about.

[@1919champ]

I concur with the other commenters. The content of the channel is just getting more and more compelling viewing. Thanks again for the time all this takes out of your life.

[@majorlee76251]

I heard when Eastern lost a plane in the Everglades. He went there in the swamp to help out. He is that type of person to do what needed to be done.

[@desertdenizen6428]

This episode was far and away one of the top offerings on You Tube that I have seen since the microprocessor was developed. Thank you!

[@MattH-wg7ou]

The book Apollo 8 is awesome. Largely focuses on Borman's part of the story but not solely.

[@hayeslewis]

Thank you for sharing. A great reminder about how we all need to balance our personal desires with the need to care for the ones we love.

[@leejim3609]

What an interview! Thank you! An legend in the early stage of space exploration and a true hero.

[@rogerpattube]

Ward you hit the ball out of the park with this truly amazing conversation with these wonderful people on the most fascinating piece of history.

[@genestern1767]

Always good to hear “the rest pf the story”. Nice job!

[@thomasmitchell6921]

Mr Carroll, your framing of this story has been vital to we viewers

[@bradens1860]

Iv been close friends with Frank for 18 years. I work at the restaurant Frank and Susan came into 5-4 days a week till Susan got sick with dementia. He still comes in three (plus) times a week and I actually just talked with him today. He is sick himself and his body is wearing out. But when he passes:( The saddest part will be the tv talking -only- about his career. The legend of Frank is amazing. But who he is as a man and how he was to his wife when she was healthy and sick. Is something that’s more amazing then what he has done. Men like that are a rarity. I’m very grateful for the advice he has given me. And growing from an 18 year old to a 37 year old. Having Frank constantly in my life has been nothing but a privilege. There’s too much admiration and stories to fit into a comment section. But Frank is someone the world can’t afford to loose.

[@archerpiperii2690]

Excellent job Ward - thank you for making this! Please keep making interviews like this, you are good at it and the topics deserve to be heard. Phoenix, AZ.

[@gwalker3092]

I watch wards channel regularly but came to watch again after hearing of Franks passing. A very interesting video and incredible life for them both. Look forward to reading the book about such amazing people RIP

[@peternicolaides6256]

Col. Frank Borman pinned my wings on in 1976 after graduating flight attendant training, I flew for Eastern from 1976 to 1989 based SJU & MIA. On occasion I would have Frank on several flights only to find him sitting in the cockpit giving the captain a little break from flying a L-1011 or a 727-200 he truly loved flying for the very same reason I was there on those flights.

[@mako88sb]

The miniseries, From The Earth To The Moon, does a fantastic job showing the type of person Frank Borman is. I didn’t know about how bad things got with his wife until I seen this show. David Andrews who portrayed Borman really did a great job with the role. Anybody who hasn’t seen the miniseries should take the time to do so. Tons of other great performances.

[@christiankirkwood3402]

There is absolutely no shortage of actual mission (Apollo 8) and associated materiel like period interviews, reunions... all on KZbin and he is a fantastic character yet very serious and matter of fact. Agreed From the Earth to the Moon is cool, but it's BASED on mission debrief. It ain't a book either. Again, I urge you to check out extended materiel available on this platform. Kind regards from Sydney and Ballina :)

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

@@christiankirkwood3402 A lot of "From the Earth to the Moon" was drawn from Andrew Chaikin's Book "A Man on the Moon"

[@christiankirkwood3402]

@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 Yeah thanks for that... I've read Andrew's work/s, also Amy's stuff, just to add everything else ever written, 1st hand and or otherwise, over my lifetime since watching the whole thing go down in real time as it happened. You're talking about a dramatised work of acting BASED on aspects of fact. We here deal in the mountains of factual written and film documentation available atm. Go ahead with the "boomer" label in reply, I was nearly 8 when we here were sent home from school to watch Armstrong and Aldrin perform the most historic EVA ever, was nearly 11 when we watched Cene Cernan and Harrison 'Jack' Schmidt leave Taurus Littrow in December 1972. If you think I'm some fat balding duffus, guess again. I'm 75kg, fighting fit, great physique, full head of salt n pepper hair, surf or swim and train daily. Take your dramatised b.s. and hawk it elsewhere. Regards from Sydney and Ballina. MATE.

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

@@christiankirkwood3402 You were in School on a Sunday? July 20th 1969 was a Sunday. I was 10 when the landing happened. As for you attitude, at the end of the Paragraph, Keep that up, and someone will give you an Attitude Adjustment.

[@christiankirkwood3402]

@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 Hey Einstein, we live on the East Coast of Australia. Come off it with the "attitude adjustment" you moron. You really are a narrow minded idiot, aren't you. Our AEST zone is in fact a day ahead of you. It was Monday 21st July here and the EVA went down just after rmidday - Bye bye from Tuckombil via Alstonville and East Ballina - that's 800km North of Sydney. Oh, yeah... from my wife and 3 adult daughter's, our niece's, my brothers and sisters, and all our mate's here in paradise sitting around the bonfire tonight 🤪🖕

[@billjamison2877]

Ward, this video is absolutely OUTSTANDING!

[@kevinkoepke8311]

My Dad, with family in tow, went to North American in 65 to learn the electrical systems of the Apollo command module. We still lived in El Paso where he worked on the Apollo launch escape system at White Sands. In 66 we moved to Houston. Growing up and going to school with astronauts children was ordinary stuff. What's fascinating is the different idiosyncrasies they each had. In some instances, you would never know they had astronaut dad's, and others, it was apparent by their attitudes.

[@richardbowles7690]

Excellent and unique view into aspects of "The Greatest Generation" (Borman was on very young end of that era). Mission orientation, laser focus (even though lasers were not yet routine), wives/Moms (sidelined partners) making the family work, alcohol and other "mental aids". Like so many other military brats, we experienced much or all of that. Our parents endured and inspired. Painful reading the book -- its so well written, and much hits close to home. Was fortunate to meet astronauts in elementary school and through my career, including one on Apollo 1. Still have audio tapes I recorded from TV during Apollo missions. Thanks, Mooch, for passing along the stories and advancing the inspiration. Especially appreciate the human side as focus of this video.

[@depilot2035]

Now this is the content I've been looking for

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

It's such an amazing era of American history, where it seems almost no expense was spared forging speed records, rocket technology, and finally putting people on the moon. Some of the greats of the post war era, and of course the phenomenal women who held things together, many not receiving appropriate accolades until decades later. Thanks Ward.

[@togowack]

They were really just testing stuff that had been found here before the era of colonization. deliberately destroyed most of it during a period of time we are told was experimental in our history.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

@@togowack I'm not sure if rocket technology was part of the colonization period, but certainly the acquisition of raw materials and land were, at great cost to Native Americans. It's a portion of the past it seems we struggle to acknowledge, among other colonial sins.

[@togowack]

@@Pricklyhedgehog72 Rocket technology was a part of the period before colonization, eventually people are going to dig underneath our cities and find technology we didn't know existed. Check the term 'mud flood' buildings. The cities infrastructure electrical water systems we use in America are thousands of years old. The native Americans had their history re written by the same people that re wrote ours, we have no idea who they are where they came from.

[@johnwallace4408]

WOW! This is powerful!! Content like this is what makes your channel the BEST on You-tube! PERIOD!!!

[@amphibimanx3900]

The Apollo One fire episode as depicted in “From the Earth to the Moon” really did a great job portraying Borman.

[@toddcitron7869]

Thanks!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks so much for the generous support, Todd.

[@timmcneil906]

Amazing story Ward, thanks for sharing!

[@180mph9]

What an amazing story, during early the Apollo days, my mom worked on the command module at NAA where she met Frank, I was too young to appreciate the incredible accomplishments at NASA. Thank you Liisa.

[@robertbandusky9565]

Those were great times for America! My dad was a structural engineer on the Saturn Five in New Orleans. My first part time job was a parts expediter on the factory floor.🇺🇸

[@jhmcglynn]

Great story Ward. Like many of your listeners/commenters I also grew up as a SAC BRAT👨‍✈️born in 1947. Dad was a Boomer on a KC-135 retiring in 1962 when I was 15. He was on alert every 3rd week. Our housing at Altus AFB OK was pretty good. We moved to Long Island NY. I got a college internship at Grumman Aerospace in 1967 and worked there for 3 years including about a year on the Lunar Excursion Module. I love it when my kids tell their friends their dad is a rocket scientist :)

[@AndyTheGabbyCabby]

wow im a big follower of the Apollo era missions and I never knew any of this. We focus so much on the fame of the crews you tend to forget the impact all this has on the families.

[@annesuire8745]

Selling his plane was a symbolic gesture in honor of his wife who passed away not long ago. Even their love story was difficult at times but enduring and beautiful. I want to get the book!

[@tinyskustoms]

Great interview about a great man, and family! Thank you, Sir for another great video!

[@sandymj3w633]

Great interview sir! My one uncle was a pilot in WW2 & Korea. The other was a marine in WW2. Never once do I remember hearing how my aunts managed. Thank you for opening our eyes to reality of the times. 👏🇺🇲🙏

[@terryyarnall9495]

A wonderful interview and a very touching story. As usual, very riveting. I’ve come to expect the very best from you and your guests.

[@djbside1965]

Great interview. Mooch never disappoints.

[@thelefthandedshooter381]

I met Frank Borman when the alarm at his P51 hangar went off. I was a police officer. He was awesome and let me look around at his aircraft. The alarm went off at 2am and it was awesome to meet such an amazing American.

[@terryboyer1342]

Frank Borman was one of my heroes growing up. I had no idea of the back story. Sounds like Susan was a tremendous woman. Thanks for bringing this to light Ward.

[@johnscherrer9234]

I consider it a privilege that I lived in the NASA area outside of Houston during the Apollo program. My dad worked for the Apollo Support Group of General Electric. Most of the fathers of my high school friends worked for NASA or a sub-contractor. Their accomplishments were remarkable, many of which we didn’t become aware of until years later. There wasn’t a better place to live at that time in US history as far as I was concerned. Three of us from my high school class went to Annapolis and one to West Point (Fred, Frank’s son). There were always 2 or 3 from our high school that went to one of the service academies at that time. I’m definitely buying the book. Thanks for conducting this interview.

[@rossreed9974]

Much appreciate your channel day-by-day, but loved this episode! Big fan of the first 3 gens of Astronauts and the American space program, sad that many of the NASA employed husbands/wives ended in divorce. Frank Borman has always been a favorite. I remember the 11/1967 launch of an unmanned Apollo Saturn V, I lived in Sanford Florida (I was a Navy Brat) and saw the fireball of those huge engines before the earth-ending sound that shook my insides... watching from a Pre-School with my teacher and School Head. Great inside story to an amazing woman and her famous husband, thank you Ward!

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

Our Smartphones have many Billion times the computing power than what Apollo had. However the Computers for Apollo were specific for the task, and did the job well, and were actually much easier to operate, could recover from a Crash instantly, and know where to pick up the Pieces.

[@spqr701]

Ward. Excellent video, as usual. Thanks for posting, I have a cousin who lived near the cape during the "glory-years" of the space program. They got to watch (close-up) most of the launches from Mercury through Apollo. He said that watching a Saturn 5 shot was like living through a severe earthquake, very high on the Richter Scale.........

[@robertmorey4104]

Awesome discussion. Really enjoy your guests and subjects. I'm a kid of the 60s so getting the story/backstory on a family at the pinnacle of the space race is fascinating. Frank is an exceptional person to turn down Apollo11 to try and help his family. Great story. Thank you.

[@Nate_Higgins]

You, sir, are a top-notch interviewer.

[@nmelkhunter1]

Interesting insight to the sacrifices made to reach the moon. Thank you for sharing.

[@arthurpearson3407]

Another outstanding program,Mooch😉. I experienced the feeling that was pervasive in 1957 after the Soviets launched Sputnik that they were way ahead in space and with them achieving many first, it was very scary. Our first attempts ending in disaster didn’t help give us hope of catching up. Mercury made strides in methodically getting the US back in the game, Gemini accelerated our progress towards the ultimate stated goal with Apollo. These astronauts were folk heroes to us. The wives as we learned later dealt with these unbelievable stresses. We knew how some of them had problems and had real difficulty dealing with the factors of the program, but it appears to have been more prevalent. I was in Vietnam on Christmas 1968 and listened to the Apollo 8 broadcast on Armed Forces Radio and was on R&R in Sydney on July 20, 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. In the ensuing years I’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with many NASA astronauts including John Young who epitomized the best of this country.

[@danutasiysz3552]

Amaizing life and heroic Wife with great strength. She was so bloody tough

[@patrickunderwood5662]

After reading the book… I am ashamed of my earlier post. This work brought tears to my eyes more than once. Buy it and read it.

[@drats1279]

I was an airforce brat, along with my older sister and younger brother in the 50s and early 60s. Our father was an Airforce aviator who fought in WW2 and the Korean conflict. We were stationed on many stateside bases as well as four years in Germany. I cannot remember my mother, and us kids, ever having to live in "ghetto" like conditions such as you mentioned at any base we were stationed at. We were without my dad for long periods of time but we lived in respectable quarters and my mother did one hell of a job raising us without the use of alcohol. Talk about a beautiful woman, Liisa Joegansen is stunning.

[@pensacola07]

Excellent job, this was a fantastic video to watch, absolute great job

[@spoondeep]

Wow, very inspiring Ward. Thank you. Shopping for the book now.

[@Sam62254]

Excellent! Really great stuff, Ward.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

This "boyfriend" didn't do his research before he picked the fight....at the time Borman attended West Point, Boxing was a required sport to participate in in order to graduate.

[@ronaldschoolcraft8654]

I was four years old in 1969 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. My dad plopped me down in front of the TV and said, "Watch this! You will read about it in the history books some day." He did that for every Apollo launch after that.

[@pbandj37]

The Borman Expressway (80/94) in NW Indiana is named after him.....and no one here has any idea who he is anymore. It is beyond sad. The man went to USMA, flew for the Air Force, flew Gemini, flew Apollo 8 to the moon, ran Eastern Airlines and so much more....and no one here knows about him anymore. Sad is an understatement.

[@stevefletcher7968]

Thank you for another great video. You nailed it again. Your pursuits are truly treasures.

[@stevefletcher7968]

@Amy Taylor Very well thank you.

[@stevefletcher7968]

@Amy Taylor Northern Idaho

[@stevefletcher7968]

You?

[@stevefletcher7968]

@Amy Taylor Been a very cool and wet spring. Summer will arrive shortly. What brings you to Wards you tube channel?

[@stevefletcher7968]

@Amy Taylor working on my home.

[@MrFlysafely]

I've watched all your episodes and this was the best. I never knew this about the Bormans. Thank you so much. 🤓

[@toddcitron7869]

Ward, as a Ret. USAF Capt. And retired AA pilot (MD) your insights are absolutely fabulous. One of my best friends flew A6’s of the sh*tty Kitty (hey, that’s what he called it. He just passed away). I enjoy all of your work and I’m happy to help. Take care Brother!

[@Militaria_Collector]

Totally agree! As a retired airline pilot I bet you ha e a ton of awesome stories!!! Maybe it's time to start a channel

[@Boz_-st4jt]

My son Cmdr. Marc 'Oral' Stirton also flew EA-6B's off the 'Shitty Kitty' with VAQ-136. Now she's going to be scrapped. And, currently a F/O with SWA.

[@teleguy5699]

I think might know the guy you are talking about. Did his first name begin with an M?

[@timsparks7049]

I have 399 traps on Kitty Hawk I didn’t get 400 due to a math error. Unique claim though. 949 total!

[@myname9337]

I fly for AA currently. MD, 73 and 777 rated. Be thankful you're out of the game. I'm based out of DFW. I flew with VF84.

[@d3202s]

Your channel and Rick Beatos' are the best! Great content. How are you doing on DCS?

[@WardCarroll]

Fam flights in progress.

[@ds2112]

BZ Mooch, awesome interview. When I was 10 I took my first flight on an Eastern Air Lines DC9-10 in 1978, and sent EAL a letter, I still remember getting a card from Col Borman thanking me for the letter, I framed that card. Later that year my dad painted my bedroom in EAL colors, with the EAL Eagle over my bed. When I was in 14 I was in FL (having flown EAL the day before) for the first Shuttle launch, and the intense roar where I was north of Orlando blew me away; can't imagine being in the visitor center. I wanted to work for only two airlines, PAA (Pan Am) because they went around the world, or EAL as I had my first flight with them. I'm 54 now, and in dispatch standards and training for a worldwide all-cargo airline; I wonder what that 10 year old having just flown on an EAL baby 9 would think... once again, BZ!!

[@ianjones4071]

Hi you do great work, I was born in 57 and grew up loving the space race ,here in Australia we got small amounts of information and TV coverage, I skiped school the day man walked on the moon, thank you for bringing the truth out in your videos,ps have a real soft spot in my heart for saber jets cheers mate

[@EmotionallyExhausted]

Shocking but nice to see some Alberta representation! I will definitely be picking this up. Very nice people. Thanks, Mooch!

[@johnbuchman4854]

Thank you Frank Borman. --JohnB

[@coldwarrior5167]

Thanks for dredging up our sordid past again Ward. lol Sputnik could beep my house from there. Here in Canada we lived every Mercury, Gemini and Apollo launch, and every assassination, so thanks for letting us in on Frank and Susan Borman to bring the story and the truth home. I've followed and appreciated most of your KZbin posts, but ringing the bell sounds like a sneaky lowdown Seal trick. lol

[@damianhoratiu2287]

The wives of the Apollo astronauts would deserve a movie and a decoration of their own. Ancient Greek type heroines.

[@dahawk8574]

*Astronaut Wives Club* was excellent. Extremely well done.

[@awuma]

At the time of the Apollo 1 fire, the Russians were on a sort of hiatus, getting Soyuz ready. Korolev had died a year earlier, and the N-1 and Proton rocket programs were doing poorly. And then Soyuz 1 had a fatal conclusion three months later. It was a tough time for both sides.

[@ronaryel6445]

Great story and great insights! I hope a lot of young people watch this. One small point of correction: At the time Frank Borman was fixing the Apollo capsule, so it wouldn't kill three more astronauts, Roe vs Wade was still six years in the future.

[@Stubbies2003]

Outstanding job here. I didn't know anything of the back story for Borman but thanks to Apollo 13 I had studied up some on Jim Lovell. Lovell was probably the best person for the job on Apollo 8 after Borman. Jim's measurement of current position were so good that it minimized the number of mid course correction burns required. Sad that Susan had to go through all of this basically alone. There is no way you can blame her for feeling like she did as when the USA tried to catch up to the USSR in the space race we started by failing in spectacular fashion. Add in the Apollo 1 disaster and the fact that even by Apollo 6 they were still dealing with mechanical and human failures. That plus Apollo 8 being pushed forward on the time line to beat the USSR to the moon to do something literally no one had done before. Susan was very justified for being afraid.

[@davidsmith385]

Interesting that Frank's Wife was described as a closet alcoholic, my Grandmother was described like that by her good friend. She passed away at the age of 55 from liver problems or fatty liver disease, it was described in the autopsy as being non alcoholic related. I grew up in the Gemini Era, spent the night on Cocoa Beach to see Apollo 11 lift off, an experience I have never forgot.

[@hawkeye681]

Read COL Bormans book “Countdown.”. Great insight into the Borman family and all they went through.

[@wesleyallen1173]

6,000 parts; as Alan Shepard said, parts made by the lowest bidder on a government project. One of the most touching things from the Apollo 8 mission was, on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts--Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders--held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis, And G-D bless all of you on the good earth.

[@thomasmoore8142]

Thanks Ward, truly Amazing production and I love Liisa and Michael so their book must be fantastic.

[@Metshound]

Mr.Carrol,your on your way to a career in T.V. or the movies.Your podcasts touch on the humanity of our military, especially our air heros.Your better then anything on the history channel.Thanyou again.

[@pedroruiz193]

Apparently Susan Borman was obsessed with the idea that the CSM main engine wouldn't fire to leave the lunar orbit and head back home. They told her that the main engine was hypergolic, so it was almost impossible that could happen.

[@michaelnguyen6730]

Another legendary astronaut that is overlooked is Capt. John Young (USN). He was involved in the early days of NASA with the Mercury Gemini program and the culmination of the Columbia space shuttle initial launch in 1981.

[@johnemerson1363]

I can not believe how much we owe the spouses of our military and especially of our real outstanding heroes. I am glad Mr. Borman realized what was really important and made the right choice.

[@halspencer6613]

A great post! Thanks for this inspiring story.

[@ultrametric9317]

This is just great. Borman has always been one of my favorite guys anywhere, and certainly among the astronauts (close call between him, Collins, and Armstrong). I think the happiest day of my young life was Christmas Eve 1968 - we always opened our presents on Christmas Eve, probably so my folks could relax on Christmas Day. Well, my big gift was a 4-lane HO racing set! MAN was I stoked! But I was also a fanatical little 9-year old space nerd, and my Dad was extremely cool to let me stay up all hours following the mission. When the first TV pictures came back of the Earth from deep space, my Mom sat astonished - she glanced over at me, as if to say "Is this really so??" and I just nodded at her. "Yup." I was 100 percent sure I was going to Mars. I was already planning my career. You cannot imagine my astonishment when the suburbs fell apart from white flight, drugs, and anarchy. In 1968 anything was possible. In 1972, it was all gone.

[@lockheedskunkworks5687]

Excellent interview. My dad flew with his son in EUCOM flight detachment