Apollo 11 rescuer shares faith story

John Wolfram will recount his Apollo 11 recovery experiences, including how it felt being the first man on earth to greet the astronauts. He will also be sharing his personal struggles coping with drugs and the controversial Vietnam War that led him to discover Jesus Christ.

John Wolfram remembers that remarkable day as if it were yesterday.

“Who would have thought that a 20-year-old seaman like me would have gotten the chance to be part of history?” said Wolfram. “Dreams do come true.”

When Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969, after their historic moonwalk, the first human they saw had flower decals plastered all over his wetsuit.

“Remember it was the 1960s,” said Wolfram. “Flower power represented peace and love.”

At each event, Wolfram will display memorabilia from the recovery.

“People will get to see the original pack that held the parachute sea anchor I attached underneath the capsule,” said Wolfram, plus never before seen photos and rare Kapton gold foil Wolfram took from the Columbia space capsule that brought the astronauts back from the moon. “I will also be selling a few framed pieces of Kapton foil to fund our mission work in Vietnam and sign copies of my book, Splashdown, The Rescue of a Navy Frogman.”

Rescuing astronauts was not the only adventure of Wolfram’s short navy career. He was deployed twice to Vietnam, where he received a Purple Heart from a leg wound received during a firefight with the Viet Cong.

“Losing eight close friends was traumatic,” said Wolfram, “I was one of the fortunate ones. I was able to return to the United States and pick up where I left off.”

Wolfram’s Christian journey has led him back to Vietnam, among those whom he once fought, in order to lead them to Jesus Christ.

“I recently built a Bible school in central Vietnam, a memorial in honor of my five SEAL teammates and three high school friends who died during the War,” said Wolfram.

Wolfram’s amazing story is chronicled in a book he has published called, Splashdown, The Rescue of a Navy Frogman. It can be purchased online at johnwolfram.com or at events.

To arrange a book signing or interview, contact John Wolfram: 678-654-1487 or [email protected].


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