Retired US Air Force colonel Buzz Aldrin, 93, the second man to walk on the moon, will receive an honorary promotion to brigadier general.
The announcement was made in a press release from Space Systems Command, which shared that the Apollo 11 mission member would receive the promotion at a ceremony on May 5.
“Always honored to serve our country,” Aldrin wrote in a tweet accompanying the announcement. “I will bear sincere faith and faithfulness.”
It’s been a busy year for the retired astronaut who married his 63-year-old sweetheart, Anca Faur, on his birthday in January.
Retired US Air Force colonel Buzz Aldrin, 93, second man to walk on the moon, receives honorary promotion to brigadier general
“Always honored to serve our country,” Aldrin wrote in a tweet accompanying the announcement. “I will bear sincere faith and faithfulness”
The announcement was made in a press release from Space Systems Command, which shared that the Apollo 11 mission member would receive the promotion at a May 5 ceremony in Los Angeles. Pictured: Aldrin is seen on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969
Aldrin shared the happy news on Twitter on Friday, including the quote “true faithfulness and faithfulness,” which is spoken as part of the oath taken by officers in the military.
The retired astronaut thanked US Representative Ken Calvert, the Air Force and Department of Defense for the honor.
US Space Force Lieutenant General Michael A. Guetlein will promote Aldrin at the ceremony, which will take place at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
The private ceremony will also honor the eldest of the surviving four men who walk on the moon.
It’s been a long and fulfilling life for the 93-year-old who graduated from the US Military Academy West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In addition to his work in space, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force from 1952 to 1959, flying in South Korea and Germany.
While at MIT, the astronaut submitted a dissertation on “Manned Orbital Rendezvous,” before graduating in 1963.
At his inception, he was chosen as one of NASA’s Astronaut Group 3 and flew on Gemini 12 in 1966.
The mission is now considered the first “completely successful” spacewalk.
Throughout his life, Aldrin was also anointed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Air Medals, and other awards.
He – along with his other Apollo 11 crew members – also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.
While at MIT, the astronaut submitted a dissertation on “Manned Orbital Rendezvous,” before graduating in 1963. That same year, he was chosen for a space mission on Gemini 12
It’s been a long and fulfilling life for the 93-year-old who graduated from the US Military Academy West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In addition to his work in space, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force from 1952 to 1959, flying in South Korea and Germany
Buzz Aldrin takes the first-ever selfie in space in 1966 during the Gemini XII mission, reflecting the sun off his visor
From left to right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, Jr. pose. for a portrait in their spacesuits against a moon backdrop
However, Aldrin’s most recent achievement is marrying his now-wife.
“On my 93rd birthday and the day I will also be honored by Living Legends of Aviation, I am pleased to announce that my old love Dr. Anca Faur and I have tied the knot,” Aldrin wrote in January.
“We got married in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles and are as excited as runaway teenagers,” he said of him and his fourth wife.
Dr. Faur, 63, currently serves as Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC, and her LinkedIn page states she has been with the company since 2019.
Faur holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and was once treasurer of the California Hydrogen Business Council.
Aldrin has been married and divorced three times before, to Joan Ann Archer from 1954 to 1974, Beverly Van Zile from 1975 to 1978, and Lois Driggs Cannon from 1988 to 2012.
Aldrin, who turned 93 on Friday and was part of the historic first-ever moon landing mission, made the sweet announcement on his Twitter account