Memorial Service for Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Charles "Chuck" Yeager

Credit: Master Sgt. Eugene Crist | Date Taken: 01/15/2021
Air Force II taxies under a water cannon salute honoring the life of Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Charles “Chuck” Yeager, at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, West Virginia, Jan. 15, 2021. Yeager was a renowned aviator and test pilot, becoming the first human to officially break the sound barrier on Oct. 14, 1947 when he flew the experimental Bell X-1 at more than Mach 1. Among his many honorariums, Yeager was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, the International Space Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Congressional Silver Medal. Yeager died the evening of Dec. 7, 2020 at the age of 97. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Eugene Crist)