Charles E. Yeager*

Born in 1923, Chuck Yeager was raised in the small, rural town of Myra, West Virginia, and was the second of four children in his family. Yeager's father was a natural gas driller who taught his children the importance of finishing anything they started. Doing the best job he could with whatever task was set before him became a lifelong characteristic for Yeager.

Hunting and fishing were common practices in his hometown, and Yeager was able to put meat on the table by the time he was six. Although they were not well off, Yeager's parents provided a rich life for their children. As Yeager got older, he helped his father around drilling rigs and repaired equipment. This endeavor was his early introduction to mechanics, which served him well later in life.

In 1941, Yeager graduated from high school and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a private. He was trained as an airplane mechanic but soon applied for the "flying sergeant" program. His excellent coordination and vision helped him get chosen as a fighter pilot. Based in England, Yeager flew eight combat missions before being shot down over France, but he was able to make his way to Spain with the help of the French underground. He returned to his squadron, flew 56 more combat missions, and shot down 13 aircraft.

At war's end, Yeager, then a captain, was assigned to Ohio's Wright Field, which became the center of aviation technology. His combination of splendid flying abilities and knowledge of airplane systems helped him become a test pilot at Muroc Army Air Field, which later became Edwards Air Force Base.

After breaking the sound barrier in 1947, he flew the Bell X-1 more than 40 times, exceeding 1,000 mph. In 1953, he flew the Bell X-1A at 1,650 mph, becoming the first man to fly at Mach 2.5, or two and a half times the speed of sound.

Yeager continued as a test pilot until 1954, when he took command of the 417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at Hahn Air Base in Germany. He served in France and California, graduated from the Air War College, and was commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School.

In 1966, he commanded the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and supervised flying missions over Vietnam. Later, he served in Europe as a brigadier general and then in Asia as the U.S. defense attaché in Pakistan.

Yeager retired in 1975 and founded General Chuck Yeager, Inc. He advised various films, programs, and documentaries about aviation. Yeager also published three books: The Quest for Mach One: A First-Person Account of Breaking the Sound Barrier; Yeager, An Autobiography; and Press On: Further Adventures in the Good Life.

Yeager said his Horatio Alger Award meant a great deal to him. "It shows that hard work, dedication, and being in the right place at the right time are the basic ingredients of success in America," he said.