[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 18 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Page 578]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Death of Walter M. ``Wally'' Schirra, Jr.

May 3, 2007

    Laura and I are saddened by the death of Wally Schirra. Wally was a 
member of the original seven, our Nation's first class of astronauts. 
``Jolly Wally,'' as he was affectionately known, was the fifth American 
to go into space and holds the distinction as the only astronaut to fly 
in each of NASA's pioneering space flight programs: Mercury, Gemini, and 
Apollo. His ventures into space furthered our understanding of manned 
space flight and helped pave the way for mankind's first journey to the 
Moon. Laura and I join Wally's family and friends and the NASA community 
in mourning the loss of an American hero.