The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Virgil "Gus" Grissom - Sep. 6th, 2004

www.hq.nasa.gov ^ | Mary C. Zornio

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
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FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

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Lieutenant Colonel
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
(1926-1967)

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Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom had been part of the U.S. manned space program since it began in 1959, having been selected as one of NASA's Original Seven Mercury Astronauts. His second space flight on Gemini III earned him the distinction of being the first man to fly in space twice. His hard work, drive, persistence and skills as a top notch test pilot and engineer had landed him the title of commander for the first Apollo flight. Yet for Grissom, Apollo I was to be just the beginning. He had been told privately that if all went well, he would be the first American to walk on the moon. Although Grissom already had stacked up a very impressive list of career accomplishments, being first on the moon would be the ultimate achievement for the man who grew up in a small town during the lean years of the Great Depression.

Astronaut Virgil Grissom dressed in alumized space suit.
September 15, 1964

Virgil Ivan Grissom was born on April 3, 1926 in Mitchell, Indiana, a tiny Midwestern community of about three thousand residents tucked away in the southern half of the state. Virgil was the eldest of Dennis and Cecile Grissom's four children, which included two brothers, Norman and Lowell and one sister, Wilma. Dennis Grissom managed to hold on to his job at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in spite of the numerous layoffs which were going on all around him. Although they were far from being wealthy, Mr. Grissom's twenty-four dollar per week salary allowed his family to live comfortably in their white frame house in town.

Although Grissom was too short to participate in high school sports, he found a niche for himself in the local Boy Scout troop where he eventually served as leader of the Honor Guard. To earn spending money, he delivered newspapers twice a day throughout the year and, in the summer, he was hired by the local growers to pick peaches and cherries in the orchards outside of town.

Throughout high school, Virgil used a good portion of his money to take Betty Moore to the late shows at the local theater. He had first met her during his sophomore year and he immediately knew that she was the girl for him. "I met Betty Moore when she entered Mitchell High School as a freshman, and that was it, period, exclamation point! It was a quiet romance, as far as anyone could see, but a special closeness started then and has developed into something light years beyond the power of mere words to describe."


Virgil "Gus" Grissom, the third human in space, nearly drowned when the hatch on the Liberty Bell 7 popped open too early.

Grissom was, in his own words "not much of a whiz in school". Without having set specific goals for himself, he simply seemed to drift through his classes. He excelled in math, but only pulled average grades in his other subjects. His high school principal remembered him as "an average solid citizen who studied just about enough to get a diploma".

However, World War II helped Grissom start forming some personal and career goals. He enlisted as an aviation cadet as a high school senior and reported for duty in August 1944 following graduation. He took a short leave during July 1945 to marry Betty Moore and returned to the base with high hopes of receiving flight instructions and flying combat missions. However, Japan surrendered a short time later and the war ended before he could receive his training. Grissom found himself going from one routine desk job to another. Knowing that he had joined the Air Force to fly and not to type, he decided to leave the service. His discharge came through in November 1945.

Grissom soon realized that his limited military career was going to get him nowhere. Eventually, he found a job at Carpenter's Bus Body Works. However, he knew that he did not want to spend the rest of his life installing doors on school buses in Mitchell, Indiana. Therefore, he set another goal for himself. He would earn a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.


Astronaut Virgil Grissom standing beside F-102 on the flight line

While Gus attended classes during the day, Betty worked as a long distance operator. After class, Gus worked thirty hours a week flipping burgers at a local diner. Their combined incomes plus a small grant from the GI Bill financed the cost of his education and their "pint-sized apartment near the campus". After three and one half years of study, Grissom graduated in 1950 with a BS in mechanical engineering. Many years later, Gus still was quick to give credit to Betty, for "she had made my degree possible".

After graduation, Gus made several half-hearted attempts to find employment. At one point, he considered accepting a mechanical engineering position at a brewery. However, because his heart was set on becoming a test pilot, he re-enlisted in the Air Force, finished air cadet training and won his wings.


Sam Simmermaker interviewing Gus Grissom in this early 1960's photograph.

Less than one year later, Grissom was shipped out to Korea to complete one hundred combat missions with the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. He ignored the tradition of naming a jet after one's wife or girlfriend and chose to fly his F- 86 Sabre jet with the name "Scotty" boldly printed on it in honor of his son who had been born the year before. Another code of conduct existed on the bus ride which transported pilots from the barracks to the flight line. Pilots who personally had been shot at by a MIG were allowed to sit. Those who had not yet experienced a real piece of the action were unworthy of a seat and forced to stand. After only two missions, Gus took a seat on the bus. His first experience of being shot at came as a bit of a surprise. "I was flying along up there and it was kind of strange. For a moment I couldn't figure out what those little red things were going by. Then I realized I was being shot at." Grissom "usually flew wing position in combat, to protect the flanks of other pilots and keep an eye open for any MIGs that might be coming across". He was proud to be able to say, "I never did get hit and neither did any of the leaders that I flew wing for". After spending six months in Korea, Gus reached the one hundred combat missions mark. His request to fly twenty-five additional missions was denied and he was sent back to the states, having earned both the Air Medal with cluster and the Distinguished Flying Cross during his tour of duty.


Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom in Gemini capsule, circa 1965.

The next few years brought a variety of assignments and changes for Grissom. He served as a flight instructor for new cadets, a task which Gus soon learned could be even more dangerous than the combat missions he had flown in Korea. "At least you know what a MIG is going to do. Some of these kids were pretty green and careless sometimes, and you had to think fast and act cool or they could kill both of you."

The family of three became a family of four when a second son, Mark arrived in 1953. In addition to his duties as an instructor, Grissom spent as much time as he could racking up extra flight hours and honing his flying skills. He "gained the reputation among his peers as one of the best jet jockies in the business". Finally, after receiving additional instruction at the Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, Grissom attended test pilot school at Edwards AFB. He received his test pilot credentials in 1957 and was transferred back to Wright-Patterson, where he specialized in testing new jet fighters. "This was what I wanted all along, and when I finished my studies and began the job of testing jet aircraft, well, there wasn't a happier pilot in the Air Force."


Gus Grissom at Bakalar Air Force Base being greeted by John Hoff. In back of Gus's T-33 jet were Christmas presents.

Then, out of the blue, Grissom received an official teletype message instructing him to report to an address in Washington, D.C. wearing civilian clothes. The message was classified "Top Secret" and Grissom was not to discuss its contents with anyone. "Well, in the Air Force you get some weird orders, but you obey them, no matter what. On the appointed day, wearing my best civilian suit, and still as baffled as ever, I turned up at the Washington address I'd been given... I was convinced that somehow or other I had wandered right into the middle of a James Bond novel." Nonetheless, as bizarre and surreal as the order might have seemed at the time, it would change Grissom's life completely.

Grissom discovered that he was one of 110 military test pilots whose credentials had earned them an invitation to learn more about the space program in general and Project Mercury in particular. Gus liked the sound of the program but knew that competition for the final spots would be fierce. "I did not think my chances were very big when I saw some of the other men who were competing for the team. They were a good group, and I had a lot of respect for them. But I decided to give it the old school try and to take some of NASA's tests."

Taking some of NASA's tests turned out to be more of an ordeal than Grissom could have imagined. He was sent to the Lovelace Clinic and Wright-Patterson AFB to receive extensive physical examinations and to submit to a battery of psychological tests. Grissom was nearly disqualified when doctors discovered that he suffered from hay fever. Without missing a beat, Grissom informed them that his allergies would not be a problem because "there won't be any ragweed pollen in space". Since no one could argue that point, they passed him on to the next series of tests.


Grissom family together after the Gemini 4 mission

Grissom was pleased with his performance in all but one of the physical tests. "I was real disappointed in myself, and I thought that I should have done better" on the treadmill test. Like most of his colleagues, Grissom had an intense dislike and distrust of the psychological exams. It simply did not seem logical to him for grown men to be asked who they perceived themselves to be or what hidden figures or meanings they saw lurking in random blots of ink or blank sheets of paper. "I tried not to give the headshrinkers anything more than they were actually asking for. At least, I played it cool and tried not to talk myself into a hole. I did not have the slightest idea what they were trying to prove, but I tried to be honest with them...without getting carried away and elaborating too much."

The number of test pilots had dwindled steadily since the initial invitation to Washington had been issued. Finally, seven were chosen. On April 13, 1959, Air Force Captain Virgil Grissom received official word that he had been selected as one of the seven Project Mercury astronauts. Six others received the same notification:

Lieutenant Malcolm Scott Carpenter, U.S. Navy
Captain LeRoy Gordon Cooper, Jr., U.S. Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel John Herschel Glenn, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps
Lieutenant Commander Walter Marty Schirra, Jr., U.S. Navy
Lieutenant Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr., U.S. Navy
Captain Donald Kent Slayton, U.S. Air Force


Paresev was a design for a Gemini spacecraft recovery method that offered more control than the big cargo 'chutes then in use-it was steerable. First flown in the early '60s, the idea proved impractical-it would be heavier & harder to stow than parachutes-but it did provide inspiration for the hang-gliding & ultralight aircraft movements. 2 pilots who flew Paresev pose in 1962 with Paresev 1-A: Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom & test pilot Milt Thompson.

"After I had made the grade, I would lie in bed once in a while at night and think of the capsule and the booster and ask myself, 'Now what in hell do you want to get up on that thing for?' I wondered about this especially when I thought about Betty and the two boys. But I knew the answer: We all like to be respected in our fields. I happened to be a career officer in the military and, I think, a deeply patriotic one. If my country decided that I was one of the better qualified people for this new mission, then I was proud and happy to help out." Having made the decision to accept NASA's invitation to join Project Mercury, Grissom moved his family to Langley AFB, Virginia and considered himself a very fortunate man to be participating in such a "weird, wonderful enterprise".

[The Mayor]

September 6, 2004

Mister Rogers

Read: Colossians 3:22-4:1

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. —Colossians 3:23

Bible In One Year: Psalms 148-150; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

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The late Fred Rogers, creator and host of the much-loved children's television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, had a special understanding of his ministry and his work. His widow, Joanne, told a journalist: "I always remind people that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister and this was his ministry. His work was his ministry, and he loved his work; my, did he love his work. That's what makes me sad about losing him. Because I think he would have worked for a long time more if he could have, yet he accepted that with all of his heart and was ready to go to heaven."

We may feel that work is secular, but view leading a Bible study as spiritual. The Bible draws no such distinction, however. Paul instructed Christians to work "not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:22-24).

When we honor God and help people, then our work and ministry blend together in pleasing service to the Lord. Mister Rogers showed us how we can do that in our own neighborhood. —David McCasland

No matter what my daily chores might be
To earn my livelihood, still may I see
My job, the real position that I hold,
Is bringing others to the Master's fold. —Stalter

Daily work done for God takes on eternal value.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on September 06:
1711 Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg founder of US Lutheran church
1729 Moses Mendelssohn German englightened philosopher (Haksalah)
1757 Marie Joseph du Motier, Marquis de LaFayette, French soldier and statesman who aided George Washington during the American Revolution.
1766 John Dalton chemist, developed atomic theory of matter
1817 Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt a Canadian founding father
1881 Leo Carrillo LA Calif, actor (Pancho-Cisco Kid)
1883 Lord Birkett England, judge (Nuremburg Trials)
1888 Joseph P Kennedy financier/diplomat, father of JFK, RFK & Teddy
1904 Maxie Rosenbloom light heavyweight boxing champ (1930-34)
1912 Vincent DiMaggio baseball player (Giants, Phils, Reds, Braves)
1915 Franz Josef Strauss Germany, minister of defense (1956-62)
1925 Jimmy Reed Mississippi, blues singer (Soulin', Big Boss Man)
1928 Evgeny Svetlanov Moscow Russia, conductor (Siberian Fantasy)
1934 Jody McCrea LA Calif, actor (Ben Matheson-Wichita Town)
1937 Jo Anne Worley Lowell Indiana, comedienne (Laugh-in)
1939 David Allan Coe country musician (Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy)
1944 Linda Kaye Henning Cal, actress (Betty Joe-Petticoat Junction)
1944 Swoosie Kurtz Omaha Nebraska, actress (Slap Shot, Garp)
1946 Bryan D O'Connor Orange Cal, Col USMC/astronaut (STS 61B, STS 40)
1947 Jane Curtin Cambridge Mass, actress (SNL, Allie Lowell-Kate & Allie)
1947 Roger Waters singer (Pink Floyd)
1954 Jon Erikson US, 1st to triple cross English Channel (1981)
1955 Anne Henning US, 500m speed skater (Olympic-gold-1972)
1958 Jeff Foxworthy (comedian: You Know You're a Redneck, The Jeff Foxworthy Show; author: No Shirt, No Shoes ... No Problem)
1960 Michael Winslow actor/comedian (Police Academy)
1974 Justin Whalin LA, actor (Charles in Charge)

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Deaths which occurred on September 06:
0394 Eugenius linguistic/anti emperor of Rome (392-94), dies in battle
0972 John XIII Crescentii, pope (965-72), dies
1635 Adrian A Metius, mathematician/fort architect, dies at 63
1701 James II king of England (1685-88), dies at 68
1944 Robert Lejour Belgian lawyer/resistance fighter, murdered
1939 Arthur Rackham, artist/illustrator (Grimm's Fairy Tales), dies at 71
1959 Kay Kendall British actress, dies at 32
1966 Dr Verwoerd South African PM, assassinated in assembly
1966 Margaret Sanger, US feminist/birth control pioneer/racist, dies at 86
1984 Ernest Tubb singer (Grand Ole Opry), dies at 70
1985 Jane Frazee singer/actress (Alice-Beulah), dies at 67 of pneumonia
1985 Johnny Desmond singer (Your Hit Parade), dies of cancer at 65
1990 Tom Fogerty rocker (Creedence Clearwater), dies of tuberculosis at 48

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 BUNDY NORMAN L. MIAMI FL.
1968 COSKEY KENNETH L. DETROIT MI.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1968 DEICHELMANN SAMUEL M. MONTGOMERY AL.
1972 LINDLAND DONALD F. EUGENE OR.
[REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83]
1972 LERSETH ROGER G. SPOKANE WA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV INJURED, ALIVE AND WELL 98]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0394 Theodosius becomes sole ruler of Italy after defeating Eugenius at the Battle of the River Frigidus.
1422 Sultan Murat II ends a vain siege of Constantinople.
1492 Columbus' fleet sails from Gomera, Canary islands
1620 Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth England to the New World
1622 Spanish silver fleet disappears off Florida Keys; 1,000s die
1839 Great fire in NY
1848 National Black Convention meets (Cleveland)
1853 Women's Rights Convention met (NYC)
1861 General Grant occupies Paducah Kentucky
1862 Stonewall Jackson occupies Fredrick, Maryland
1863 After 59 day siege, confederates evacuate Ft Wagner, SC
1869 1st westbound train arrives in SF
1869 Mine fire kills 179 at Avondale Pennsylvania
1876 Race riot in Charleston SC
1876 Southern Pacific line from LA to SF completed
1898 Lord Kitchener destroys Mahdi's tomb in Omdurman
1899 Carnation processes its 1st can of evaporated milk
1901 Pres William McKinley, shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at Pan American Exposition in Buffalo NY, died eight days later -- and vice president Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency.
1903 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of The Creeping Man" (BG)
1905 Atlanta Life Insurance Company established
1905 Chic White Sox Frank Smith no-hits Detroit Tigers, 15-0
1909 Word received, Adm Peary discovers North Pole 5 months earlier (I didn't know it was lost)
1913 The first aircraft makes an aerobatics loop-the-loop (Adolphe Pegoud-France)
1914 Battle of the Marne; Germans prevented from occupying Paris
1920 1st radio broadcast of a prizefight
1928 USSR signs Briand-Kellogg-pact
1939 1st German air attack on Great-Britain in WW II
1941 All Jews over age 6 in German territories ordered to wear a star
1941 Jews of Vilna Poland are confined to a ghetto
1943 "Congressional Limited" train derails near Frankfort Pa, kills 79
1946 All-American Football Conference plays 1st game (Clev 44, Miami 0)
1948 Juliana becomes queen of the Netherlands
1953 The last American and Korean prisoners are exchanged in Operation Big Switch, the last official act of the Korean War.
1954 Yankees use a record 10 pinch hitters
1963 Church bombed in Birmingham AL, kills 4 black girls
1963 Major league baseballs 100,000th game

1966 "Star Trek" premiers on NBC TV

1966 Race riot in Atlanta Georgia
1968 Swaziland gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1970 Palestinian guerrillas seized control of three jetliners which were later blown up on the ground in Jordan after the passengers and crews were evacuated.

1972 Summer Olympics massacre in Munich Germany when Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli compound, kidnapping nine team members.

1975 6.8 quake along Anatolian Fault kills over 2,000 in Lice Turkey
1976 Russian pilot defects to Japan in a Mig 25 jet
1978 Begin & Sadat meet at Camp David to discuss peace
1980 Chantal Langlace sets women's record for fastest 100K run (7h27m22s)
1980 College football longest losing streak of 50 games ends for Macalaster U of St Paul, Minn beating Mount Senario 17-14
1982 Polish dissidents seize the Polish Embassy in Bern, Switzerland
1983 USSR admits to shooting down KAL 007 on 9/2
1984 Today Show begins live remote telecasts from Moscow
1986 Barbra Streisand's 1st live concert in 20 years (300 invitees pay $5,000 to hear Barbra Striesand's benefit concert)
1986 USSR charges correspondent Nicholas Daniloff with spying
1986 Attack on synagogue in Istanbul, 23 killed
1988 Lee Roy Young becomes the first African-American Texas Ranger in the force's 165-year history.
1988 Crippled soviet Soyuz TM-5 lands safely with 2 cosmonauts aboard
1989 Amateur Atheletic Fed strips Ben Johnson of all track records
1989 Police computer accuses 41,000 Parisians of murder/prostitution
1991 USSR recognizes independence of the 3 baltic republics
1995 Cal Ripkin breaks Gehrig's record, plays in 2,131 straight games
1995 Senate Ethics committee votes 6-0 to ask for expulsion of Bob Packwood
2000 The Millennium Summit, the largest gathering of world leaders in history, convened at the United Nations.
2000 Thousands of pro-Indonesian militiamen and supporters stormed a U.N. office in West Timor, killing three foreign staffers
2001 The Justice Department reversed an earlier decision and said it would no longer seek to split the Microsoft Corp. into more than one company or pursue the claim that the company had illegally tied its network browser to its operating system.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Pakistan : Defense Day
Swaziland : Somhlolo Day/Independence Day (1968)
Namibia, South Africa : Settlers' Day ( Monday )
US, Canada, Guam, Virgin Islands : Labor Day (1894) (Monday)
Co-Ed College Day
National Oral Hygiene Week (Day 6)
Mental Health Workers Week Ends
Library Card Sign-Up Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Zachariah
RC, Ang : Feast of the Transfiguration

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Religious History
1812 Colonial American missionary Adoniram Judson, 24, en route to the mission field, converted from Congregationalism to become a Baptist. He later translated the Bible into Burmese and authored a Burmese dictionary (1849).
1907 Pius X issued the encyclical "Pascendi dominici gregis," in which he condemned the "modernist" movement within the various branches of Christendom. The document also established councils to combat these "modern errors."
1938 The movie "Boys Town" was first released by MGM studios. Starring Spencer Tracy, the award-winning film depicted the founding of the famous vocational institution in Nebraska in 1917 by parish priest Father Edward J. Flanagan, 31.
1940 The National Christian Council of Japan organized its churches into a single body, with complete autonomy from Western church control. The single Protestant structure thus formed was named the United Church of Christ in Japan.
1974 American Presbyterian missionary Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'Only the one who has been hurt can bring healing. The other person cannot. It is the one who has been hurt who has to be willing to be hurt again to show love, if there is to be hope that healing will come.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end,...it would probably be Labor Day Weekend."

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Translating Southern United States Slang to English...
GRAIN - adjective. A Color.

Usage: "She was grain with envy"

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Quotes" About Cats...
A cat isn't fussy - just so long as you remember he likes his milk in the shallow, rose-patterned saucer and his fish on the blue plate. From which he will take it, and eat it off the floor.

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Politically Correct Terms For Males...
He does not : SEND YOU FLOWERS
He commits : BOTANICAL BRIBERY

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Bumper Stickers...
We are born wet, naked and hungry then things get worse

[manna]

Present!

[snopercod]

Thanks. I see memory fails me as to the names of the victims.

Have you ever seen the XB-70 up at Wright-Pat?

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning alfa6.

[snippy_about_it]

An unnamed big shot...

Isn't that always the way it is. A good leader listens. A bad one just enjoys his position of power.

Thanks for the explanation of the atmosphere mixture.

[Samwise]

Hobbit Lass enjoyed today's Foxhole. She is determined to go to Purdue and get an engineering degree. She's going to have to stop losing her homework first.

[SAMWolf]

An unnamed big shot decided that the thing to do was change to pure oxygen-CO2 mix... Pleas by technical people that all that stuff not flammable in a 3 pound per square inch oxygen atmosphere would burn like a roman candle, like a cutting torch, in pure oxygen at 15 pounds per square inch.

Bureacrats!!

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C. Happy Labor Day to you. Hope the weather cooperates for you.

[SAMWolf]

Morning aomagrat

Defying the most unfavorable possible weather conditions, men of Cochino and Tusk (SS-426) fought to save the submarine for 14 hours, performing acts of skillful seamanship and high courage.

Upholding the traditions of the US Navy.

[SAMWolf]

Not sure about Ed White. But Joe Walker was involved in a crash with an XB-70.

(P.S. Thanks for the giving SNippy an idea for a thread) :-)

[SAMWolf]

My dad knew Gus Grissom and Al Shepard.

Cool!!

Corners were cut and stupid decisions made, and pilots died. I guess it's true today too.

Two Space shuttle disasters tend to bear this out.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks alfa6.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather.

[SAMWolf]

Morning stand watie

Free Dixie!

[SAMWolf]

I barely remember this. I was at an age I wasn't paying much attention to the news. :-(

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" :-)

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[SAMWolf]

1972 Summer Olympics massacre in Munich Germany when Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli compound, kidnapping nine team members.

Nothing has changed except that the islamofascists have gotten bolder.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Manna!