Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin was named an honorary brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force and made an honorary member of the U.S. Space Force on Friday, more than 50 years after he first set foot on the moon.
“Without the courage and dedication of Aldrin, we may never have been afforded the luxury of leading the lifestyle we enjoy today,” Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein said at the promotion ceremony in El Segundo, Calif., according to a Space Force press release.
“Over the past 54 years since stepping foot on the moon’s surface, he has been an inspiration to a nation, and tireless advocate for space exploration,” Geutlein added.
Aldrin was also given the chance to be an honorary Space Force Guardian — the term for Space Force members coined first by former Vice President Mike Pence.
“He has lived a life epitomizing the Space Force Guardian values of character, connection, commitment, and courage,” Geutlein said.
“I will argue that Aldrin was truly one of our first Guardian’s willing to protect and defend this nation with all that we hold dear,” he continued. “He is one of the first Guardians because he has lived a life which epitomizes the very values we strive to live by today.”
Aldrin, 93, was the second person to walk on the moon in 1969 after his fellow Apollo 11 member Neil Armstrong.
“It is thrilling that I am still here to see NASA sending brave astronauts to circumnavigate the moon next year, and land astronauts soon thereafter,” Aldrin said. “Now… that’s space exploration!”
The former astronaut made headlines earlier this year, when he married his “longtime love,” Anca Faur, on his 93rd birthday, tweeting that they were “as excited as eloping teenagers.”