22 Facts About Theodore Freeman

Theodore Freeman's father was a farmer and his brother a carpenter, and it seemed as if he would have a blue collar career.

Theodore Freeman was a part-time worker, helping to refuel the planes and work on them.

Theodore Freeman spent most of his money on flying lessons, and with over 450 hours of flying on his training record, earned his pilot's license by the age of 16.

Theodore Freeman was the president of the school's student and the local chapter of the National Honor Society; he graduated as an honors student ranked third in his class in 1948.

Theodore Freeman was a Boy Scout and he earned the rank of First Class.

Theodore Freeman passed the scholarship portion, but failed the medical portion due to his crooked teeth.

Theodore Freeman was told if he straightened them out he would be accepted the next year.

Theodore Freeman made some money by spotting schools of fish for local fishermen.

Theodore Freeman had an operation to fix his teeth, which included grinding his teeth down, then wore braces for several months to finish the effort.

Theodore Freeman was admitted to the US Naval Academy Class of 1953 on June 17,1949.

Theodore Freeman graduated from Annapolis in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Theodore Freeman elected to enter the US Air Force and took flight training at Hondo Air Force Base and Bryan Air Force Base, Texas and at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Theodore Freeman was awarded his pilot wings in February 1955, shortly after being promoted to first lieutenant, then served in the Pacific and at George Air Force Base, California.

Theodore Freeman was promoted to captain in June 1960 while pursuing his master's degree at the University of Michigan and then went to Edwards Air Force Base, California, in February 1960 as an aerospace engineer.

Theodore Freeman graduated from both the Air Force's Experimental Test Pilot School and Aerospace Research Pilot School courses.

Theodore Freeman served primarily in performance flight testing and stability testing areas; he logged more than 3,300 hours flying time, including more than 2,400 hours in jet aircraft.

Theodore Freeman was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963 and was assigned the responsibility of aiding the development of boosters.

Theodore Freeman died in a plane crash due to a bird strike on the morning of October 31,1964.

Theodore Freeman was returning on Saturday from McDonnell training facilities in St Louis and crashed during final approach to landing at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston.

Theodore Freeman attempted to land on the runway, but realized he was too short and might hit military housing.

Theodore Freeman's parachute did not deploy in time, and he died upon impact with the ground; his skull was fractured and he had severe chest injuries.

Theodore Freeman was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.