In this week’s episode of Defending Faith, Family, and Freedom with Gary Bauer, senior vice president of public policy at the James Dobson Family Institute, Bauer relives the lead up to and the catastrophic aftermath of the 25th NASA Space Shuttle flight of Challenger. Bauer plays audio from the moment of this tragic accident, where seven brave crew members perished. He also plays portions of the eloquent address to the nation by President Ronald Reagan. Here is the President’s moving, unforgettable closing paragraph to America 38 years ago: “The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’”
Remembering the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster, Jan. 28, 1986
Gary Bauer

- Gary currently serves as senior vice president of Public Policy and Culture at JDFI, president of American Values, and chairman of Campaign for Working Families PAC. Previously, he served in the Reagan administration as Under Secretary of Education and Head of the Office of Policy Development. Gary became president of the Family Research Council, senior vice president of Focus on the Family, and was appointed by President Trump to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.


