Chuck Yeager

He married Glennis Dickhouse in 1945. The couple was blessed with four children and remained married till Glennis’s death in 1990.

He married actress Victoria Scott D’Angelo in 2003. His adult children were however against this match as they felt that the much younger woman had married their father for his wealth. This claim was denied by both Yeager and D’Angelo.

He was born to Albert Hal Yeager and his wife Susie Mae who were farmers. He had two brothers and two sisters.

He graduated from a high school in West Virginia. As a teenager he attended the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison during the summers of 1939 and 1940.

He joined the United States Army Air Corps immediately after his graduation in 1941. He was a private at the time of his enlistment and was not eligible for fighter training. However, the entry of the U.S. into World War II led to a change of rules and he was accepted for flight training owing to his sharp vision and natural talent as a pilot.

He received his wings and was promoted to Flight Officer when he graduated from class in March 1943. He initially trained as a fighter pilot and flew Bell P-39 Airacobras when he was assigned to the 357th Fighter Group.

He flew P-51 Mustangs in combat with the 363d Fighter squadron while stationed in the United Kingdom. He was shot down over enemy territory in 1943 but managed to evade capture and escaped to Spain with the help of Maquis (French Resistance).

He helped the guerrillas in constructing bombs for the group and helped them in other duties that did not involve direct combat for as long as he was with the Maquis. He returned to England in 1944.

He was prohibited to return to active combat as per army policies as he was now an “evader”. He appealed to General Dwight D. Eisenhower who after consultation from the War Department allowed him to fly combat mission again.

He was the first man ever to break the sound barrier and fly at a speed faster than sound. He first achieved this record in 1947 and went on to repeat the feat several times over his career. He broke the sound barrier for the last time on 14 October, 2012 on the 65th anniversary of the event when he was 89 years of age.