Learning Center Our Enshrinees

R. Walter “Walt” Cunningham

• Was one of the first second lieutenants assigned to the All-Weather Jet Night Fighters (F3D).
• Flew 54 missions in Korea with VMF-513, over 60 percent of which were at night and in bad weather.
• Selected by NASA in 1963 to be apart of the third group of astronauts.
• Flew the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7, where he became the second Marine Corps Pilot to fly in space.
• Made Chief of the Skylab Branch of the Astronaut Office; working on the design and development of five manned space modules, two different launch vehicles, and 65 major onboard scientific experiments.
• Appointed as Chairman of the Texas Aerospace Commission.
• Served for eight years with the Advisory Panel for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, reviewing and approving medical experiments to be flown on the International Space Station.
• Wrote many books including The All-American Boys, which is considered one of the best books ever written on the space program.