Bro Edwin Eugene Aldrin (Buzz) was born on the 20th January 1930 in Glen Ridge New Jersey he graduated third in the class of 1951 from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force and served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War. He flew 66 combat missions and shot down two MiG-15 aircraft. He joined NASA and his first space flight was in 1966 on Gemini 12 just three years later he was to set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on the 21st July 1969 as a member of the Apollo 11 crew. He was first initiated into Freemasonry at Oak Park Lodge No. 864 in Alabama, and was raised at Lawrence N. Greenleaf Lodge, No. 169 in Colorado. He is also a member of York Rite and the Arabia Shrine Temple of Houston. Before joining the crew of the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin had an unusual request. He approached the Grand Master of Texas and requested to open a representation of the Grand Lodge on the moon. His request was welcomed and accepted, and therefore Buzz Aldrin was able to establish Masonic territorial jurisdiction in outer space. He signed and carried a special deputation from the Grand Master of Texas and carried it with him to the moon. Such was Aldrin’s commitment to the Craft that he had the foresight to expand the boundaries of Freemasonry to outer space; a remarkable feat for the fraternity. Aldrin also carried a handmade silk Masonic flag with him on his journey to the moon, which was embroidered with the following words: “Supreme Council, 33-degree, Southern Jurisdiction, USA.” Bro Aldrin lives in Florida and turned 94 this January.
