U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) recently announced that at his recommendation, former astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Buzz Aldrin has been promoted to the honorary rank of brigadier general.
Calvert send a letter on July 27, 2022, to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall seeking Aldrin's promotion, a recent press release from the congressman's office said. Title 10, Section 1563 of the U.S. Code allows the Secretary of Defense to authorize an honorary promotion of a retired member of the Armed Forces to any grade not exceeding O-8 when the promotion is proposed by a member of Congress. Calvert commented that Aldrin's status as an American icon made the promotion obvious.
“Through his extraordinary service to our nation, Buzz Aldrin has inspired Americans for generations and is incredibly worthy of this wonderful honor,” Calvert said in the release. “I am thankful for the Air Force’s approval of my request recognizing Buzz for his immeasurable contributions. The American exploration and scientific discovery achieved by Buzz is truly remarkable. Few people who have walked on our planet or soared above it have left a legacy as rich and meaningful as Buzz Aldrin.”
Aldrin graduated third in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a mechanical engineering degree. After finishing at the top of his class in flight school, he became an Air Force fighter pilot. During the Korean War, Aldrin flew 66 combat missions in the F-86 Sabre, shooting down two MiG-15 jets and being decorated with two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
In 1963, Aldrin earned a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology following his dissertation on orbital mechanics. The dissertation helped advance the scientific community’s understanding of the physics of rendezvousing and docking spacecraft in orbit. It also led to his selection as an astronaut by NASA. In 1963, Aldrin joined the third group of men who would attempt to pioneer spaceflight.
Aldrin played a key role in developing new techniques for spacecraft docking, the release said. He created underwater training methods to simulate zero-gravity flight. During the Gemini 12 mission, he achieved the longest and most successful space walk at the time, lasting five hours. On the same mission, he manually recalculated all the docking maneuvers after the onboard radar failed. On July 20, 1969, Aldrin became the second human to walk on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission.
In all, Aldrin spent 290 hours in space, during which he completed eight hours of space walks.
Calvert represents southern California’s 41st U.S. Congressional District, his website biography said. He has worked for 17 years as an entrepreneur in the restaurant and real estate fields. A lifelong resident of Riverside County, Calvert has served in leadership positions at the Corona Chamber of Commerce, the Corona Rotary and the Corona-Norco Family YMCA.