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How Wim Hof Became The Real Iceman
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"The cold gave me a direct understanding of deeper breathing and how to heal a broken heart."
- Wim Hof
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"The cold gave me a direct understanding of deeper breathing and how to heal a broken heart."
- Wim Hof
Back in the sixties, an American named Ed Dwight thought he would be the first Black astronaut in space. He never made it, but years later, the 90-year-old is preparing for his inaugural flight.
View of Earth and satellite
Photo by NASA on UnsplashIn 1961, President John. F. Kennedy selected Air Force member Ed Dwight to enter a training program that would pave the way to NASA’s Astronaut Corps, reports CBS News. It was an opportunity that meant Dwight would become the first Black astronaut.
“I thought these dudes were crazy,” he recalled. Still, he went through the training and completed the program two years later. The Air Force recommended that he join the corps, but surprisingly, he wasn’t selected.
“So, all these white folks that I'm dealing with, I mean, my peers, the other guys that were astronaut candidates, and the leadership was just horrified at the idea of my coming down to Edwards and the president appointing me to the position,” Dwight said.
When Kennedy was assassinated, so was Dwight's journey to space. He left the Air Force in 1966 to pursue art and spent the next 60 years creating sculptures of iconic figures in Black history. According to CBS, more than 130 of Dwight’s pieces have been shown in public spaces and museums.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t until 1983 that the first Black astronaut, Guion Bluford, actually reached space.
Dwight is now 90 years old, but he never gave up his dream of going to space. Sixties years later, it’s finally happening. The man is one of six civilians who will board the upcoming June Blue Origin flight to the edge of space.
The company, which was founded by Jeff Bezos, has already completed 22 successful space missions. Many of those flights have included celebrities, like Michael Strahan and William Shatner.
When Shatner flew into space in 2021, he became the oldest man to do so at 90 years old. Now, Dwight will tie that record with his $250,000 ticket, which is sponsored by Space for Humanity.
Sometimes a dream may seem too far-fetched to ever become a reality. Or perhaps you were on the road to realizing a dream, but something came up, and it just didn’t happen. This story proves that sometimes a dream might not happen the way you thought it would, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still come true.
Dwight's upcoming journey into the atmosphere, where he’ll experience weightlessness and a spectacular view of space and Earth, isn’t what he initially thought his journey to space would be like. Yet he’s still going, and in that way, his dream is coming true.
The takeaway for all of us is that we should never be afraid to dream, and to dream big. Sure, the dream might not come true, but by giving up you’re ensuring that it won’t. Dreams give us a sense of purpose and meaning, and the more we invest in them, the more complete we can be.
Sometimes it may take a whole lifetime, but as Edwards proves, dreams do come true.
There's something special about a letter; just ask Alvin Gauthier. As a U.S. postal worker for the past 20 years, he's seen his fair share.
So when he stumbled across some long-lost letters postmarked 1942, Gauthier delivered. Literally.
He hopped in his car and drove TEN HOURS round-trip — on his day off and at his own expense — to ensure they finally reached their destination...82 years later.
Alvin Gauthier, a USPS carrier from Grande Prairie, Texas, hand-delivered WW-II era long lost letters to soldier's family.
NBC 5 News
Gauthier, a mail carrier in Grande Prairie, Texas, discovered the cache of WWII-era letters when they inexplicably landed in his mailbag one day.
"I was getting ready for my route and found some letters that were dated back to 1942, so World War II," Gauthier told NBC affiliate KXAS-TV.
"My main thought was I have to find this family."
Alvin Gauthier via KXAS-TV
The letters, some typed and some hand-written, were obviously from a soldier to his parents, "Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lamb."
As a military veteran himself, Gauthier recognized the historical value and sentimental importance of his find. He understands the impact letters have on boosting a soldier's morale, having written and received letters from his own parents during his tour in Iraq.
He made it his mission to get the letters home.
Simply addressed to Jacksonville, Alabama and without a physical address, he didn't have much to go by. But this was one mystery he was determined to solve.
Using the clues he did have, a military return address and the recipients' names, Gauthier enlisted the help of local media in Little Rock, Arkansas.
They delivered. After running the story, Gauthier received several emails and phone calls from people from all over. He was able to track down JoAnn Smith, the soldier's sister.
WWII soldier Marion W. Lamb
NBC 5 News
Rather than putting the letters back in the mail, Gauthier decided to hand-deliver the precious correspondence. On his first day off, he hopped in the car and drove 5 hours across state lines to reunite JoAnn with her brother's legacy.
"I could have stuck them in the mail, but it's kinda like sometimes you have to go above and beyond," he said.
"Just go the extra mile … or 379 miles.”
When the veteran arrived at Smith's door with the letters, she was shocked...and thrilled.
“I’m very excited and very tearful,” a crying Smith told Fox affiliate KLRT-TV about the moment. “For me, it’s a connection to my family.”
Smith was only two years old when her older brother, Marion Lamb, went off to fight in WWII.He served in the South Pacific with the 96th Infantry Division, his unit earning the Philippine Republic Presidential Citation Badge for their bravery. He passed away in 2010, at the age of 89.
Smith is the last remaining sibling out of six kids. The letters mean the world to her.
JoAnn Smith is reunited with letters written by her older brother, Marion, during WWII
NBC 5 News
After more than eight decades, these long-lost letters finally came home.
Gauthier didn't just deliver letters, he delivered priceless memories. For Smith, they are so much more than mere words on the page, they are a tangible link to her brother and the past. It's a gift she'll never forget.
“I just appreciate Alvin,” Smith told KLRT-TV. “He has really gone out of his way and people connect on different levels and I feel as connected to Alvin as I do my family.”