I met John Glenn when was 90. He was a great man, a scholar, and a great American.

• Military Service: Glenn was a U.S. Marine Corps pilot who flew combat missions in both World War II and the Korean War.

• Test Pilot: He became a highly respected test pilot, setting a transcontinental speed record in 1957 by flying from Los Angeles to New York in under 3.5 hours (“Project Bullet”).

• NASA and Mercury Seven: In 1959, Glenn was selected as one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts.

• First American to Orbit the Earth: On February 20, 1962, during the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard Friendship 7, he became the first American to orbit the Earth — circling the globe three times.

• Political Career: After retiring from NASA and the military, Glenn served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio for 24 years (1974–1999).

• Return to Space: In 1998, at age 77, Glenn flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95 mission), becoming the oldest person ever to fly in space.