John Glenn From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was a United John Glenn States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, and United States Senator from Ohio. In 1962 he was the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times. Before joining NASA, Glenn was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II and Korea with six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen Air Medals. He was one of the Mercury Seven, military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA as the United States' first astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn Chair of the Senate Governmental Affairs flew the Friendship 7 mission; the first Committee American to orbit the Earth, he was the In office fifth person in space. He received the January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in Preceded by William V. Roth Jr. 1978, was inducted into the U.S. Succeeded by William V. Roth Jr. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990, and was United States Senator the last surviving member of the Mercury from Ohio Seven. In office After Glenn resigned from NASA in December 24, 1974 – January 3, 1999 1964 and retired from the Marine Corps Preceded by Howard Metzenbaum the following year, he planned to run for Succeeded by George Voinovich a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio. An injury in early 1964 forced his withdrawal, and Personal details he lost a close primary election in 1970. Born John Herschel Glenn Jr. A member of the Democratic Party, July 18, 1921 Glenn first won election to the Senate in Cambridge, Ohio, U.S. 1974 and served for 24 years until January 3, 1999. Died December 8, 2016 (aged 95) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. In 1998, still a sitting senator, Glenn was Resting place Arlington National Cemetery the oldest person to fly in space as a crew Political party Democratic member of the Discovery space shuttle and the only person to fly in both the Spouse(s) Annie Castor (m. 1943–2016) Mercury and Space Shuttle programs. He Children 2 received the Presidential Medal of Education Muskingum University (BS) Freedom in 2012. University of Maryland, College Park Civilian Congressional Gold Medal Contents awards Presidential Medal of Freedom Congressional Space Medal of 1 Early life and education 2 Military career Honor 2.1 World War II NASA Distinguished Service 2.2 Korean War Medal 2.3 Test pilot Signature 3 NASA career 3.1 Pre-selection Military service 3.2 Selection 3.3 Project Mercury Service/branch U.S. Navy 3.3.1 Training U.S. Marine Corps 3.3.2 Friendship 7 flight Years of 1941–1965 3.4 Resignation service 4 Political career 4.1 1964 Senate attempt Rank Colonel 4.2 1970 Senate attempt Unit VMJ-353 4.3 Senate career VMO-155 4.3.1 Late 70s and 80s VMF-218 campaigning VMA-311 4.3.2 Issues 4.3.3 Savings and loan 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron scandal Battles/wars World War II 4.3.4 Retirement Chinese Civil War 4.4 Presidential politics Korean War 5 Return to space Military Distinguished Flying Cross 6 Personal life 7 Public appearances awards (6) 8 Illness and death Air Medal (18) 8.1 Handling of remains Presidential Unit Citation 8.2 Tributes Navy Unit Commendation 9 Awards and honors American Campaign Medal 10 References Asiatic-Pacific Campaign 10.1 Notes Medal 10.2 Citations World War II Victory Medal 10.3 Sources 11 Further reading China Service Medal 12 External links Navy Occupation Service Medal National Defense Service Early life and education Medal Korean Service Medal United Nations Korea Medal John Herschel Glenn, Jr., was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, the Republic of Korea son of John Herschel Glenn, Sr., the Presidential Unit Citation owner of the Glenn Plumbing Company, and Clara Teresa née Sproat, a NASA astronaut teacher.[1][2][3] He was raised in nearby Other Test pilot occupation New Concord[4] along with his adopted Time in space sister Jean,[5] and attended New Concord 4h 55m 23s Elementary School.[6] Selection 1959 NASA Group 1 Missions Mercury-Atlas 6 After graduating from New Concord Mission High School in 1939, Glenn studied insignia engineering at Muskingum College. He Retirement January 16, 1964 earned a private pilot license for credit in a physics course in 1941.[7] He did not Awards complete his senior year in residence or take a proficiency exam, both required by the school for its Bachelor of Science degree. Muskingum awarded his degree in 1962, after Glenn's Mercury space flight.[8] Military career World War II NASA Payload Specialist Time in space 9d 2h 39m When the Japanese attack on Pearl Missions STS-95 Harbor brought the United States into Mission World War II, Glenn quit college to enlist insignia in the U.S. Army Air Corps.[9] Never Awards called to duty, he enlisted as a U.S. Navy aviation cadet in March 1942. Glenn attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City for pre-flight training and continued at Naval Air Station Olathe in Kansas for primary training, where he made his first solo flight in a military aircraft. During advanced training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas, he accepted an offer to transfer to the U.S. Marine Corps.[10] Having completed his training in March 1943, Glenn was commissioned as a second lieutenant. After advanced training at Camp Kearny, California, he was assigned to Marine Squadron VMJ-353 and flew R4D transport planes. Glenn was posted to the Marine Corps Air Station El Centro in California in July 1943 and joined VMO-155, which flew the F4F Wildcat fighter.[11] VMO-155 re-equipped with the F4U Corsair in September 1943.[12] He was promoted to first lieutenant in October 1943, and shipped out to Hawaii in January 1944.[11] It was intended that VMO-155 would move to the Marshall Islands but this was delayed, and on February 21 it moved to Midway Atoll and became part of the garrison.[13] Beginning in June 1944, Glenn flew 57 combat missions in the area.[11][14] He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and ten Air Medals.[15] Glenn returned to the United States at the end of his one-year tour of duty in 1945, and was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina and then to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. Although he was promoted to captain in July 1945, shortly before the Pacific War's end, he was uncertain of a regular commission in the Marine Corps. He was ordered back to Cherry Point, joined VMF-913 (another Corsair squadron), and learned that he had qualified for a regular commission.[16][11] In March 1946, he was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in southern California. Glenn volunteered for service with the occupation in North China, believing that it would be a short tour. He joined VMF-218 (yet another Corsair squadron), based at Nanyuan Field near Beijing, in December 1946.[17] He flew patrol missions until VMF-218 was transferred to Guam in March 1947, and he returned home in December 1948.[18][11] Glenn was re-posted to NAS Corpus Christi, first as a student at the Naval School of All- Weather Flight, and then as a flight instructor.[11] In July 1951, he was sent to the Amphibious Warfare School at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia for a six- month course.[19] He then joined the staff of the Commandant, Marine Corps Schools. Given only four hours of flying time per month, he maintained his proficiency (and flight pay) by flying on weekends.[20] He was promoted to major in July 1952.[11] Korean War Glenn was ordered to South Korea in October 1952, late in the Korean War.[21] On February 3, 1953, he reported to K-3 and was assigned to VMF-311, one of two Marine fighter squadrons there, as its operations officer.[22] VMF-311, equipped with the F9F Panther jet fighter-bomber, was assigned a variety of missions. Glenn flew his first, a reconnaissance flight, on February 26.[23] Glenn flew 63 combat missions in Korea with VMF- 311,[24] and was nicknamed "Magnet Ass" because of his ability to attract enemy flak (an occupational hazard of low- level close air support missions);[25] twice, he returned to base with over 250 holes in his plane.[25][26] He flew for a time with Marine reservist Ted Williams (a future Hall of Fame baseball player with the Boston Red Sox) as his wingman,[27] and also flew with future major general Ralph H. Spanjer.[28] Before Glenn left for Korea, he applied for an inter-service exchange position with the U.S. Air Force to fly the F-86 Sabre jet fighter-interceptor. In preparation, he arranged with Colonel Leon W. Gray to check out the F-86 at Otis John Glenn sitting in the [29] cockpit of a jet aircraft at the Air Force Base in Massachusetts. Glenn later wrote, U.S. Navy Test Station at "Since the days of the Lafayette Escadrille during World Patuxent River, Maryland, War I, pilots have viewed air-to-air combat as the ultimate 1954. test not only of their machines but of their own personal determination and flying skills. I was no exception."[30] In June 1953 he reported for duty with the 25th Fighter- Interceptor Squadron, and flew 27 combat missions in the faster F-86.[31][32] Glenn shot down his first MiG-15 in a dogfight on July 12, 1953.