William H. Fitch
William Harold Fitch[1] (November 6, 1929 – January 19, 2016) was a lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who served as Deputy Commandant for Aviation for the Marine Corps. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he was an alumnus of the University of Florida.[2] Fitch was commissioned in 1952 and retired in 1984.[3][4] He was one of the 32 finalists for NASA Astronaut Group 2 in 1962, but ultimately was not selected.[5]
William H. Fitch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | November 6, 1929 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2016 (aged 86) McLean, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1952–1984 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | Deputy Commandant for Aviation 1st Marine Aircraft Wing 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade VMFA(AW)-533 |
| Awards | Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross |
While commanding VMFA(AW)-533 as a lieutenant colonel during the Vietnam War, Fitch was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions in 1967 and the Silver Star Medal for actions in 1968.[1]
After his death in 2016, Fitch was interred at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia.[6]
References
- "William Harold Fitch". Military Times. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- Burgess, Colin (2013). Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts. New York: Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 82–85. ISBN 978-1-4614-3854-0.
- "Nationwide Gravesite Locator". National Cemetery Administration. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.