Roger Bruce Chaffee
LT COMMANDER, UNITED STATES NAVY
PILOT, APOLLO 1
"Probably the greatest thing a man can say to himself...when he
has to tackle a tough job or make a big decision...is the first eight words of
the Boy Scout Oath: 'On my honor, I will do my best.'"
-Roger B. Chaffee
September 1966
 These
few words sum up the belief structure within which Roger Bruce Chaffee lived
his life.
Roger was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan into the close-knit
Chaffee family on February 15, 1935. His interest in aviation came naturally
from his father, Donald Chaffee, who was a barnstorming pilot in the 1930's.
Roger grew up to join the Navy, eventually flying several
photographic missions over Cuba in 1962. For his efforts during the Cuban
Missile Crisis, he was later awarded the United States Air Medal.
The youngest American (at that time) ever chosen to go into
space, Roger Chaffee was selected to serve as the Pilot of Apollo 1. Roger was
that rare combination of aviator, engineer, and artist who very much looked
forward to the challenge of his first space flight.
 On 17 December 1997, Roger
was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
On 4 October 1997, he was
posthumously inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at Cape Canaveral,
Florida.
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