Hero Vet Article

	Former astronaut and retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. logged more than 6,000 flying hours, including more than 100 combat sorties in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and spent more than 680 hours in space. NASA photo

Until recently, the best-known Marine Corps Astronaut-turned public servant was John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth. Not anymore. The Marines can once again claim a certain history in space. Charles F. Bolden Jr. is poised to become the first African American and the second ex-astronaut to lead NASA.

With his Marine Corps background, and his experience as an astronaut, he is uniquely equipped to lead NASA into the 21st Century and some hope, into the era of manned space flight to the moon and beyond. And for Bolden, the role is another opportunity to inspire the children of those who serve in our nation’s military.

A long-time alumnus of the Space Agency, Bolden left NASA in 1994 to resume his career in the Marine Corps. In 2002, then-President George W. Bush unsuccessfully tried to appoint Bolden as the space agency’s deputy administrator. The Pentagon said it needed to keep Bolden in his role as a Marine general and pilot who had flown more than 100 sorties in Vietnam and the start of the Gulf War in 1991.

The appointment of Bolden, 62, must be confirmed by the Senate, where he has several supporters, including Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who flew as a guest during Bolden’s first shuttle mission in January 1986, just two weeks before the deadly Challenger accident.

Bolden stayed with NASA during its painful recovery after Challenger and for another historic event. He was a pilot for the 1990 mission that launched the Hubble telescope into orbit. Ironically, the news of his appointment was made on the completion of the final shuttle mission to Hubble in late May.

Finally, he also commanded a 1992 shuttle atmospheric research flight and in 1994 led a mission that included the first Russian cosmonaut as a member of a shuttle crew. The astronaut/cosmonaut exchange program culminated in a partnership to operate the International Space Station, as it continues to thrive today.

During this recent Shuttle/Hubble mission, Mission Control radioed the news of Bolden’s nomination to Atlantis commander Scott Altman, so he could alert his crew. Altman and his crew then spoke with President Obama during a private call between Washington the Shuttle Flight Deck.

"I can assure you that it’s a high priority of mine to restore that sense of wonder that space can provide and to make sure that we’ve got a strong sense of mission, not just within NASA but for the country as a whole," Obama told the Shuttle crew.

As a youngster growing up in Columbia, S.C., in the 1950s and ’60s, Bolden had never traveled farther than Charlotte, N.C., or Charleston, S.C.

"Going to space, flying airplanes -- not in the cards, not for me," is what Bolden thought as an African-American youth. "I knew astronauts, and they were all white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants about 5-foot-10, and they were all military test pilots at that time. So that was not in the cards for me. I didn’t fool myself -- there was no way in the world I was going to do that."

MILITARY SERVICE
He first thought flying airplanes was too risky, but ended up attending flight school and falling in love with flying. A Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, he has logged more than 6,000 hours of flying time.

Maj. Gen. Bolden was a member of NASA’s astronaut corps from 1981 to 1994, serving on four space shuttle missions -- two as a crew member, and two as mission commander -- and logging over 680 hours in earth orbit. He left NASA in 1994 to become deputy commandant of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. After leaving the Academy, Bolden became the commanding general of Marine Expeditionary Force I during the Persian Gulf War, and retired from the Marine Corps as Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan. After Vietnam, he served as a test pilot in the United States Naval Air Test Center’s Systems Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates. Bolden holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical science from the United States Naval Academy, and a masters degree in systems management from the University of Southern California.

SERVICE TO KIDS
Bolden serves on the board of the Military Child Education Coalition, and has made speaking out for military kids a priority, reminding educators and the public of the unique challenges faced by this special group.

Among the many fears military kids have are fears about their parents’ safety and fears about their multiple adjustments in new school environments.

“[Military] Children need to be taught that they can do things to help the other kids around them without being fearful, Bolden says."We need to dare them to achieve," Bolden said. "We have an obligation to the kids with whom we work to help them understand that heritage, to help them understand the obligation to dare to achieve."