Highlighting Our Heroes: Neil Armstrong
By Aileen Sainz
Legislative Affairs Manager
Navy League of the United States
This is part of an ongoing series, where we look at the lives and legacies of U.S. sea service men and women.
Did you know Neil Armstrong was a Navy veteran? Not only was he the first man to walk on the moon, but he also was crucial to the U.S. during the Korean War and Cold War.
Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He sought an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering at Purdue University under the Holloway Program Scholarship, which required him to achieve a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year university and serve three years of active duty in the Navy.
In 1949, Armstrong was called to serve. He learned to fly at his first duty station, Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Florida. On Aug. 12, 1950, Armstrong was designated a naval aviator and officially commissioned an ensign in July 1951. His first assignment was at NAS North Island, in San Diego to the 7th Squadron of the Fleet Service Aircraft Service. Afterward, he served as an F9F-2B Panther pilot with VF-51. Armstrong’s final mission with the Navy was March 5, 1952, after logging a total of 2,600 hours of flight.
On Aug. 23, 1952, he entered the Navy Reserve. Armstrong flew 78 combat missions and 121 hours over Korea in USS Essex (CV-9). During his time at NAS Glenview, Illinois, he gained a promotion, leading him to become lieutenant junior grade O-2. Armstrong resigned from the Naval Reserve in 1960.
Armstrong took part in military combat, which he believed is the “highest risk” anyone could take, even compared to spaceflight. He says he was in debt to those who lost their lives during their service to our country.
Due to Armstrong’s lifelong service to our country, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the Explorers Club Medal, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy and Naval Aviator Astronaut Wings, among many other special honors and recognitions from 17 countries.
Armstrong passed away on the Aug. 25, 2012, at age of 82. He was laid to rest in the Atlantic Sea during a burial aboard the USS Philippine Sea on Sept. 14, 2012.