John Herschel Glenn Jr. (born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio) is a former American astronaut, Marine Corps fighter pilot, ordained Presbyterian elder, corporate executive, and politician. He was the third American to fly in space and the first American to orbit the earth. He is the oldest person to have entered orbit, having flown into space in 1998 at age 77. He also served as a United States Senator (D-Ohio) (1974 – 1999).

Early history and military career

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Glenn grew up in Cambridge, Ohio and New Concord, Ohio and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Muskingum College. He enrolled in the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1942 and was assigned to the Marines VMO-155 group in 1944. Glenn flew Corsairs over the Marshall Islands, specifically Maloelap, where he attacked anti-aircraft gunnery and dropped bombs. In 1945 Glenn was transferred to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, where he was promoted to captain by the war's end.

After World War II, based in Guam, Glenn flew patrol missions in North China, and in 1948 he became an flight instructor at Corpus Christi, Texas, after which he took an amphibious warfare course and was given a staff assignment, all the while seeking transfer to combat in Korea. He was sent to Korea with Marine Corps squadron VMF-311, and his frequent wing-man was Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, an already famous professional baseball player (and fine Marine pilot) who had been conscripted for the second time in 10 years.

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