OT: RIP John Glenn

[Kenny Cole]

Great American, irrespective of your political bent. He meets my definition of a hero x 30. RIP.

[Leon]

I agree. Senator McCain did a nice tribute (as well as countless others)..RIP Mr. Glenn

"More than anything else, John served his country with profound humility. He extended kindness and courtesy to all those who had the pleasure of being in his company. John held many titles throughout his life: war hero, astronaut, and senator. But none so aptly described John as the title of 'good man.'" — U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.


.

[MooseDog]

"Good man" indeed. John Glenn set the bar high...very high. Quite a resume:

Fighter pilot in WWII and Korea
Marine Test Pilot
Member original Mercury 7 Astronaut Program
3rd man in space and first to orbit the earth
US Senator
Chief author Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978
Married to the same woman for 72+ (!) years

And that's just the short version.

EDIT: Oh yeah, forgot...back into space on a Shuttle mission at age 77!

[clydepepper]

Now, THIS was a MAN!


Rest in Peace, Sir.





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[Steve D]

Here's a story from today's Boston.com where Ted Williams had described how it was being John Glenn's wingman in Korea.

Steve

http://www.boston.com/sports/boston-...hn-glenn-photo

[JustinD]

Glenn was the definition of hero and man we may see very little of in the future.

He was a man that had the stones to not agree with every aspect of his party and have real opinions. Something rarer than platinum in this day and time on all sides.

My favorite Glenn story was in 1974 when he first ran for office against the incumbent Howard Metzenbaum. At the time Glenn's military record offered an opportunity to exploit the anti-war movement. Metzenbaum kept referring to him as "Col. Glenn" and told him he had "never met a payroll". Glenn took this seriously and felt he was being told his military service and NASA time did not qualify as a having ever held a job.

He replied with this impressive rebuttal -

"I spent 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I lived through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on twelve different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, it was my life that was on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank.

I ask you to go with me, as I went the other day, to a Veterans Hospital and look those men, with their mangled bodies, in the eye and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to any Gold Star mother and you look her in the eye and tell her that her son did not hold a job.

You go with me to the space program, and go as I have gone to the widows and orphans of Ed White and Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their Dad didn't hold a job.

You go with me on Memorial Day coming up and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags. You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell me that those people didn't have a job.

I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men – some men - who held a job. And they required a dedication to purpose and a love of country and a dedication to duty that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible.

I have held a job, Howard."

[nat]

I met Glenn twice.

The first time was when I was a kid. My dad took me to Washington DC and we were walking around the Senate office building (back when you could get in). Glenn was locking up his office for the day, but when he saw how I was excited to meet him (I was the kind of kid who was excited to meet senators) he let us into his office and autographed a photo for me.

The second time was many years later, when I was a fellow at the John Glenn Institute, and he turned up for one of our receptions. I asked him about flying with Ted Williams (who he said was an amazing man), and we talked about George Bush's plan to put a man on Mars. Glenn wasn't a fan. It called for landing on the moon and then going on to Mars, which, he said, was a terrible waste of fuel. You have to use fuel to leave Earth, and then use more fuel (which you'd need to carry with you) to escape the Moon's gravity. He suggested heading towards the sun, and using it's gravity as a slingshot to shoot you towards Mars. I recall being awed that I was discussing space exploration with an actual astronaut. He had a reputation for being wooden when giving public speeches, but in person it was nothing of the sort. Even as an old man he had so much charisma it was like standing in front of a floodlight. I didn't mention that we'd met before, and I didn't ask him for an autograph the second time.

I also met his wife Annie, whom he had known since they were infants. (No joke, their parents were friends.) Hopefully they have a big and close family for her to be with.

[KMayUSA6060]

Great little story here.

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/807312456427171840

[talkinbaseball]

They say he was "FEARLESS"


john

[Bigdaddy]

My dad worked at NASA Langley from the 1950's until 1988. He was there when the original Mercury 7 astronauts were training and provided technical support for their training needs. He always said that Glenn was the friendliest and most personable of the seven astronauts. Even then, before becoming the first American to orbit the earth and a US Senator, Glenn stood out among the nations best.

[LuckyLarry]

Here are a couple of his cards from the 1963 Topps "Astronauts" set. His cards have always carried a premium, the backs all feature a cool 3-D picture. It's been a fun set to collect.
Larry

[LuckyLarry]

1963 Popsicle Space cards feature the same images and numbers as the Topps set, but have different backs.
Larry

[milkit1]

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