[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING ASTRONAUT WALTER ``WALLY'' SCHIRRA

  (Mr. BILBRAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a life of 
accomplishment of astronaut Walter ``Wally'' Schirra and express the 
condolences of a grateful Nation to his entire family.
  Wally passed away last Thursday at the age of 84, leaving behind a 
wife, Josephine, and daughter, Suzanne, and Walter Schirra III.
  In a world where we place a premium on innovation and discovery, 
Wally was a pioneer in both.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of man is measured on a timeline of 
exploration, and for Walter Schirra, it was his life. Pushing the 
limits of discovery, determined to work harder and go farther than 
anyone before him, Wally had the distinction of being the fifth 
American in space and the third American in orbit on an adventure that 
includes six circlings of the globe that lasted more than 9 hours.
  He led a lifetime built on breaking barriers, laying the groundwork 
for future lunar landings. On December 15, 1965, he piloted the Gemini 
6 in what was to be the first attempted rendezvous by two-manned 
spacecraft in space. Three years later, in October of 1968, he 
concluded his third and final mission when he was launched as commander 
of Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission. This flight made 
Commander Schirra the only Mercury astronaut to fly aboard Mercury, 
Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts.
  His lifetime of achievement also included a decorated record of 
service in the United States military. In Korea, he flew 90 combat 
missions and was credited with downing at least one MIG fighter. His 
courage and valor was eventually recognized with three distinguished 
flying crosses, two air medals and two NASA Distinguished Service 
Medals and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
  While he was remembered most for his contributions in the United 
States space program, Wally also made tremendous strides in advancing 
the efforts of the Reuben H. Fleet Aerospace Museum in San Diego.
  While he was no longer to venture out into outer space, Wally took 
off on his 35-foot sailboat. I guess he figured if the skies were no 
longer available to him, he would instead canvass the oceans.
  Astronaut ``Wally'' Schirra will always have a place in our Nation's 
history, an inspiring figure of humble beginnings with daring dreams, a 
pioneer of our space program who helped the United States win the race 
against the Soviet Union in the space race.
  While we mourn the loss of this remarkable man, we should celebrate 
his great life of achievements. We can rest assured that his legacy 
will be long felt by many generations yet to come.

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