View From The Middle
There's Nothing Wrong With Being A Hero Worshipper
By Charles Rogers

I'm a hero worshipper. Have been since I was about five, I guess - maybe younger than that. Probably when I first saw a fireman in firefighter's garb. I'm not too embarrassed to admit it, though, no more than anyone else, I suppose, when it comes to real heroes.

Those who have seen heroes mostly admit there is some sort of worship going on there, such as those who seek autographs at Yankee Stadium. I mean the real autograph seekers, not the ones who will go out and sell the signature for a profit; not a giddy, star-struck youngster with stars in his or her eyes. I mean the dyed in the wool, sincere person who is im-pressed with the subject's accomplishments or bravery or achievement or success. Luckily, we have sports and movie stars upon whom we can satisfy our passion for seeing a hero, so to speak, up close - maybe close enough to get an autograph.

It's human nature to admire those who have accomplished something. We don't really have to call it worshipping, of course, as if we're going to fall on our knees, unless it happens to be You-Know-Who, in which case, we'd better damn well fall on our knees!

The late Wally Schirra, center, among the first seven chosen. NASA photo courtesy Lou Schlamowitz

My premise here is that one of my heroes passed away last week: Wally Schirra. Yes, that Astronaut Wally Schirra. I'd met him a few times while, early on, I was privileged to be able to cover some of the space missions - late Gemini and early Apollo - including one in which Schirra landed in the ocean and was picked up by a Navy ship. Later, there were a few times we met in Cape Canaveral when he and others were doing a press conference or some other press-covered event.

I'm sorry for doing this boasting thing (they say it's not ethical). Well, the hell with ethical! This Schirra guy - and a few more I've met along the way - was one of the reasons I did what I did and do what I do. How can one even pretend that meeting his or her hero is not one of the great perks of this business; especially when you get the chance to write about it later? Don't get me wrong. He was not a buddy. He was a guy I met and admired.

Schirra, to me, was a hero from the start. Just before I went to Florida for one of the missions, I briefed myself on the background of the seven original astronauts, of which Schirra was one, and I found that he'd come from an aviation family. His father was a Word War I pilot and then, after that war (the war to end all wars, by the way), he became a "barnstormer" and traveled around the country with his wife.

Now, for those not familiar with the phrase, "barnstorming," by definition it means to tour the country, like a politician running for office. But the word, in the early twenties and thirties, became more popularized as meaning flying around the country doing air shows at carnivals and festivals and circuses. And Wally Schirra Sr. was a natural at it. His wife, meanwhile, became part of the act when she positioned herself atop the wing of the double-wing aircraft her husband was flying while it was in the air doing 120 miles per hour. Dangerous stuff, but a crowd-pleaser.

It was in this environment that Wally Jr. was born, and it was natural for him to follow in the flying footsteps of his father. Biographies of the first astro- Continued on page 23 nauts say his father taught him how to fly - and, from the age of 15, he never stopped.

Frankly, I was always a nut about flying and, after four years in the Air Force, which I thought would have given me my fill of things aeronautic, I found that I was still looking into the sky every time a plane flew over (I still do!). So when I got the chance to head for Orlando to cover a space shot with NBC's correspondent, Jay Barbree at the helm, it was a dream come true.

Of course, I took the first opportunity I could to meet the astronauts...and I remember becoming tongue-tied immediately, gurgling a "how do you do?" to each, which probably sounded like a banshee crying in the night. I remember I could only think about how these guys were the epitome of, well, hell, courage, intelligence, uh, courage, uh, smartness......they were what America was all about. These guys had nothing on Christopher Columbus - yeah, that Christopher Columbus!

Five out of those original seven were scientists (more scientists came on board with the evolvement of NASA) but Schirra was one of the few who had been a test pilot and was strictly an aviator. He knew how to fly! Not that the others weren't also aviators in their own right, but this was what he had been doing since the age of 15. Fate was very clear on this appointment. As a result, he was command pilot on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, the only man to have been involved in three separate space missions.

I hope school kids nowadays are being taught the names of Wally Schirra and Virgil Grissom and John Glenn and the others. These are our Columbuses. These are our heroes.

I could go on. The point is clear. The question too: Are there any more Wally Schirras and John Glenns and Virgil Grissoms around? Think a minute before you come up with a knee-jerk answer.

And don't be cynical.

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