MORGANTOWN – West Virginia’s D.C. delegation joined on Thursday to ask Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to issue a commemorative stamp honoring West Virginian Chuck Yeager.
Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, and Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney joined with Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., to pose the request for Brigadier Gen. Charles Elwood “Chuck” Yeager.
Thursday was the third anniversary of Yeager’s passing and he became eligible for the honor, they said in a joint release.
“Chuck Yeager is an American hero and a legendary figure in the history of aviation,” they wrote to DeJoy, “and it is our strong belief that his historic accomplishments in service to our nation merit celebration and recognition on a commemorative stamp. Over the course of his distinguished career, Chuck fought for his country in two wars, accumulated a total of 10,131.6 flight hours in 361 different types and models of military aircraft, and was the first commander of the Aerospace Research Pilot School, where he mentored a new generation of American aviators.”
They recount Yeager’s history in their letter. A native of Myra, he was raised in the small town of Hamlin, where his family moved when he was 5 years old. Three months after graduating high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and earned his pilot’s wings in 1943.
He entered combat in February 1944. Yeager earned the “ace in a day” title by achieving five aerial victories on Oct. 12. He achieved another four victories on Nov. 27 and completed his final flight on Jan.15, 1945, having totaled 64 combat missions and 12.5 aerial victories.
Following the war, he was hand-picked to enter the Air Force’s new Flight Test Division at Wright Field. He was selected to test pilot the rocket-powered Bell XS-1 in an attempt to do what many aviation experts deemed impossible: exceed the speed of sound. On Oct. 14, 1947, on his ninth powered flight in the Bell XS-1, Chuck achieved the impossible and broke the sound barrier, attaining a top speed of Mach 1.06.
He served his country for another 28 years until his retirement from active duty in 1975. He accumulated a total of 10,131.6 flight hours in 361 different types and models of military aircraft, and was the first commander of the Aerospace Research Pilot School, where he mentored a new generation of American aviators who would pioneer spaceflight. He remained busy in retirement, serving as a consultant to government and industry and an advisor to presidents.
Yeager was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. Congress awarded him a Congressional Silver Medal in December 1975, which President Gerald Ford presented to him in a ceremony at the White House. He was also inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, the International Space Hall of Fame, and the Aerospace Walk of Honor.
Yeager passed away on December 7, 2020.
They wrote, “He left behind a legacy of service not just to his country but to all of humanity. From his humble beginnings in the hollers of Appalachia to the skies above war-torn Europe to accomplishing what no human being had done before in an aircraft, Chuck was the embodiment of the very best of America: service to his country and fellow citizens, the willingness to sacrifice in the defense of freedom, and the spirit to push beyond the boundaries what is possible to go where no one had gone before.”
