Page 232 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

Hall is an Air Force medical treatment facility with a psychiatric department.

All of these events are anomalous, being quite the opposite of what one might expect from a national
hero who had achieved one of the most extraordinary goals a man could strive for. A crew of men
working together in extremely hazardous conditions in pursuit of a common goal should have
experienced a great bonding and a mutual and shared pride of accomplishment. One often observes
reunions of men who served in combat together, for the stress, camaraderie, and experience of
watching one another’s back, brings men closer together than almost any other experience can.
Reunions of war buddies occur many decades after the original events, and are frequently only ended
when death occurs. It is anomalous that these three astronauts of Apollo 11, who reportedly faced
such great dangers and achieved an unprecedented milestone in human history, fell out of contact
with one another and manifest none of the bonding one would expect. Their behavior is more akin
to men who share a secret shame.

It is understandable, however, when one knows the truth, why Aldrin and Armstrong did not remain
close. After his initial difficulties in being in the public eye and experiencing so much disintegration
in his personal life, Buzz Aldrin took a very different path to that of Neil Armstrong. Whereas
Armstrong avoided being in the public eye and seeking to capitalize on the Apollo mythos, Buzz
Aldrin became more of a flamboyant merchandiser of his fame. It was as if in recognizing that he
would have to perpetuate the lie the rest of his life, he decided that he might as well make some
money off of it.

Buzz Aldrin in his 80s

Aldrin is fond of wearing jewelry, as demonstrated in the image above. He has numerous rings and
bracelets. He also is fond of wearing NASA and spaceflight themed hats and t-shirts. The Walt
Disney Company, which played such a key role in building up the Moon program during the Apollo
era, has continued to play the role of propagandist. In their hit animated film Toy Story and its
successors, one of the main characters is named Buzz Lightyear, a not-so-subtle allusion to Buzz
Aldrin.