INDIANA – The Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame (IMVHOF) is proud to announce that it will induct 15 Hoosier veterans into its 2023 Class on November 10, 2023, including Gus Grissom of Mitchell.
Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was an American engineer, pilot in the United States Air Force, and member of the Mercury Seven selected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as Project Mercury astronauts to be the first Americans in outer space. He was a Project Gemini and an Apollo program astronaut. As a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps, Grissom was the second American to fly in space in 1961. He was also the second American to fly in space twice, preceded only by Joe Walker with his sub-orbital X-15 flights.
Grissom was a World War II and Korean War veteran, mechanical engineer, and USAF test pilot. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, and, posthumously, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Grissom, commander of AS-204 (Apollo 1), died with astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee on January 27, 1967, during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Florida.
List of inductees:
- Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom (deceased) of Mitchell
- Daniel A Cunningham of Indianapolis
- Randall Lloyd Davis of Redkey
- Charles Ray Eckart of Corydon
- Timothy Louis Hilton of Lafayette
- Richard Green Lugar (deceased) of Indianapolis
- Jackie Norman Morrison of Rockport
- Stanley Otis Nelson (deceased) of Otwell
- James E. “Jimmy” O’Donnell (deceased) of Indianapolis
- Frederick Harlow Panhorst of Peachtree City
- Robert Edward Pedigo of Indianapolis
- Tammy Sue Sgro of Indianapolis
- Harry Bruce Sutton of Brownsburg
- Robert Philip Whitis Sr (deceased) of Indianapolis
- Lisa Ann Wilken of Westfield
2023 marks the IMVHOF’s tenth year anniversary, bringing the number of total inductees to 143. The IMVHOF received 34 nominations this year. Veterans from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, living or deceased, were considered equally.
The induction ceremony will be held November 10, 2023m at The Garrison on Old Fort Harrison, 6002 North Post Road, Lawrence, Indiana. Tickets to this year’s ceremony can be purchased by visiting www.IMVHOF.com on the Events page.
The non-profit organization honors veterans for their military service achievements and community contributions. To learn more about the IMVHOF or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.imvhof.com.
About the IMVHOF: The Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization that was founded in 2013. Formed by representatives from government, business, and retired military, the organization strives to publicly emphasize the honor brought to the state of Indiana and the nation by the sacrifice of Indiana military veterans and their families. Indiana follows only a handful of other states that have established similar organizations. www.imvhof.com.
