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.

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