Major General Charles F. Bolden Jr., USMC (Ret.) - 2023 NMHS Distinguished Service Award

Major General Charles F. Bolden Jr., USMC (Ret.), was recognized with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his extraordinary career in service to our country as a US Marine aviator and astronaut and his leadership as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy and as the Commanding General of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. Major General Bolden served as the 12th NASA Administrator, overseeing that agency’s transition to Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew programs, the Mars Curiosity rover landing, the Juno space probe, and the development of the James Webb Space Telescope. Before his time at NASA, Bolden finished a 34-year career with the Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator. During the Vietnam War, he flew more than 100 combat missions while stationed in the Rose Garden in Thailand. He joined NASA’s Astronaut Office after the war and logged 680 hours on four space shuttle missions. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint US-Russian shuttle mission. Presentation was made by Admiral Michael G. Mullen, 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Video by Richardo R. Lopes and Alessandro Lopes of Voyage Digital Media.

[@Skyhawks1979]

I served under General Bolden late in his career at 3dMAW. He is a great man. There was once a discussion at the Officers' club questioning how he could be the Wing Commander without ever commanding a squadron or air group. I interjected that a man that is assigned a national mission of piloting the space shuttle certainly can command a Marine Air Wing. The conversation ended. He is a very humble and unassuming leader. He should have been the first aviator Commandant of the Marine Corps and was treated IMO shabbily by the Corps with regard to promotion past the two star rank.