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[b]Astronaut's Ashes Committed to the Sea During Ceremony Aboard Reagan[/b] The ashes of retired Navy Capt. and astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, along with eight other Navy veterans, were committed to the sea Feb. 11 during a special burial at sea ceremony on board USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Schirra, a former Navy test pilot who was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, died at the age of 84 on May 3, 2007. He holds the distinction of being the only astronaut to fly in each of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. Schirra, who also had special ties to Ronald Reagan shipmates, visited the aircraft carrier and signed autographs for the crew in 2005. In 1962, Schirra became the fifth American in space and the third American to orbit the Earth, circling the globe six times in a flight that lasted more than nine hours. Schirra once wrote, "We shared a common dream to test the limits of man's imagination and daring. Those early pioneering flights of Mercury, the performances of Gemini and the trips to the moon established us once and for all as what I like to call a spacefaring nation. Like England, Spain and Portugal crossing the seas in search of their nations' greatness, so we reached for the skies and ennobled our nation." Ronald Reagan's command religious ministries department, along with help from the ship's honor guard, organized the morning ceremony. "I'm in awe of these people in their commitment to their country, their service, and especially their families," said Cmdr. Lee Axtell, Ronald Reagan's command chaplain. "It's Navy tradition to stop for the day and pay tribute." Ronald Reagan shipmates eagerly took time out of routine carrier operations to put on their service dress blue uniforms to take part in the ceremony. Fire Controlman 2nd Class Christopher Gronde, a Ronald Reagan Sailor who was previously assigned to the presidential honor guard, said that despite all of the funerals he's take part in, each one still affects him deeply. "I get this proud feeling about being up there," said Gronde. "I take a lot of pride in Navy tradition." In addition to Schirra, some Ronald Reagan Sailors had other ties to the military veterans. Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Scott Toupin, from Ronald Reagan's air department, committed the ashes of his uncle, Senior Chief Quartermaster William Dawson, to the sea during the ceremony. Toupin said he was honored to give his uncle his final resting place and found himself moved by the ceremony and holding back tears. "He never spoke to me about his time in the Navy," said Toupin recalling that his uncle was a quiet and reserved man. "He had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but I didn't know he was in [the Navy] until three months before his death." With the firing of three symbolic volleys for each of the nine Navy veterans, Ronald Reagan Sailors bid a final farewell to these former shipmates. Ronald Reagan was commissioned in July 2003, making it the ninth and newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The ship is named for the 40th U.S. president; its motto, "Peace through Strength," was a recurring theme during the Reagan presidency.
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