In recognition of the 40th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich joined Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin today in honoring the hundreds of men and women of NASA and 24 Apollo astronauts who served this nation in the armed forces, and helped advance this nation's space program.

"Perhaps the greatest success of the Apollo program was inspiring a generations of Americans that with persistence, faith, and hard work that anything is possible," Antonovich said. "However, the Apollo program would have never taken off from the ground without the contributions of countless veterans serving in our military and at NASA."

Veterans played a vital role in every aspect of the Apollo program serving as flight controllers, engineers, backup crew members and as astronauts.

Home to Edwards Air Force Base, JPL and aviation giants Lockheed and Boeing, Los Angeles County continues to play a vital role in the nation's space program with professionals in science and engineering pushing the boundaries of space flight technology.