Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was born February 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia. He grew up in Hamlin. In 1939, at the age of 16, he started his military career at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, and joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 at the age of 18.
On October 14, 1947, at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) in California and at the age of 24, Yeager piloted the XS-1 through the sound barrier, becoming the world's first supersonic pilot. In December 1953, he flew the Bell X-1A at a speed of 1,650 mph, becoming the first man to fly at nearly two-and-a-half times the speed of sound. In 1966, he assumed command of the 405th Fighter Wing and flew 127 missions over Vietnam.
Yeager served his country in Europe, the Philippines, Vietnam and Korea. In 1980, the Society of Yeager Scholars at Marshall University was established. He frequently visits with students at Marshall to encourage them to dream and hold themselves to the highest standards.
