Navy Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman James ‘Laddy’ Aldridge, who greeted astronauts after the historic Artemis II mission, has returned to his hometown of Cushing, Oklahoma. Aldridge will be a featured guest at Cushing’s Fourth of July celebration.
A Hero’s Welcome
Aldridge was the first person to greet astronauts after the Artemis II splashdown, the first deep space mission in more than 50 years. He shared his experience, saying, ‘As soon as the door opened, I immediately started checking if everyone was breathing, if the suits were fine, if everybody was OK.’
Aldridge expressed his appreciation for his home state, saying, ‘There is just nothing like Oklahoma. The people here are unlike anywhere else. You always hear about southern hospitality. I think it is just a little bit different and a little bit better than everybody else.’
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
