During a visit to a Schaumburg elementary school named in his honor, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin on Monday explained why he, and not Neil Armstrong, was the second man to walk on the moon.
"It could be because he was the commander," Aldrin told the nearly 700 students at Aldrin Elementary School. "It could also be because he was closer to the door."
Aldrin regaled the students with a tale of how flight began in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers flew an airplane and the year his mother, Marion Moon, was born.
"Sixty-six years later, Neil (Armstrong) and I stepped on the moon, fulfilling the dreams of millions," Aldrin said.
The Schaumburg school was named after Aldrin two years after that giant leap for mankind.
Armstrong passed away last month. Following his wishes, his ashes were scattered at sea last week.
