John Glenn dies at 95

Former Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), the first American to orbit the Earth, died Thursday at the age of 95, according to The Columbus Dispatch. 

Glenn died surrounded by family at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.

{mosads}On Thursday, Glenn was scheduled to be honored in his childhood hometown of New Concord, Ohio. The event was meant to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago and the role it played in Glenn’s life.

Glenn flew 149 combat missions as a Marine pilot during World War II and the Korean War.

He then became one of the country’s first astronauts as part of the Mercury Seven crew.

Glenn served in the Senate for 24 years and helped launch the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University.

He founded the John Glenn School of Public Affairs in 2006.

Glenn’s body will lie in the state at the Ohio Statehouse for a day, according to the Dispatch.

A public memorial service will be held at Ohio State’s Mershon Auditorium. 

He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a private service. 

Dates have not yet been announced. 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) in a statement called Glenn the state’s “ultimate hometown hero.”

“As we bow our heads and share our grief with his beloved wife, Annie, we must also turn to the skies, to salute his remarkable journeys and his long years of service to our state and nation,” Kasich said. 

“Though he soared deep into space and to the heights of Capitol Hill, his heart never strayed from his steadfast Ohio roots. Godspeed, John Glenn!” 

Several Ohio lawmakers reacted to Glenn’s death. 

 

Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) called Glenn one of Ohio’s “greatest and most heroic legends.” 

“I’m saddened to hear of his passing but I am comforted in knowing that his legacy will live on,” he said in a statement.

“His story will forever inspire future generations of public servants, astronauts and pioneers.”

NASA called Glenn a “true American hero.” 

 

— Updated at 4:30 p.m.