On September 29th 1988 NASA resumed shuttle flights after the Challenger tragedy. I was a Navy Chief Petty Officer traveling home from New Jersey to San Diego.
During a lay over in Dallas, I was watching CNN coverage of the launch of Discovery when an elderly gentleman approached me and said "Well Chief, the navy sure put them up today...".
The man was familiar, but I couldn't remember his name and when I asked him he told he was Wally Schirra. He was proud of his NASA flights, and prouder still that he was a Navy flyer.

Surely Wally has once more and finally, 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'

Of the original seven men selected for the Mercury program, only Scott Carpenter and John Glenn remain with us.