He studied aeronautical engineering at the Newark College of Engineering and, in 1942, was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduation in 1945, Ensign Schirra served on the battle cruiser Alaska and went on to complete pilot training. During the Korean War, as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron, he flew 90 combat missions in F-84E jets. He received the U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross, among other honors. Schirra was selected as one of the first NASA astronauts in 1959. He is the only one to have flown in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. After a notable career as a pilot and space pioneer, Capt. Schirra retired from military service in 1969. He died May 3, 2007.  He was 84 years old.  A memorial service for Schirra was held on May 22 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in California. The ceremony concluded with a three-volley salute and a flyover by three F/A-18s.  Schirra was cremated and his ashes were committed to the sea on February 11, 2008. The burial at sea ceremony was held aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and his ashes were released by Commander Lee Axtell, CHC, USN, the command chaplain aboard.

"Astronaut"

Lat/Long *32.682683, -117.244976

General location of headstone

Sec. MZ, Site 106