How did John Glenn go from the Marines to orbit and the Senate?

John Glenn. Marine fighter pilot and test pilot who became the first American to orbit Earth, then a business executive, a 24-year U.S. senator from Ohio, and at 77 the oldest person in space.

In the military

Enlisted Naval Reserve March 28, 1942; commissioned Marine 2nd lieutenant and naval aviator March 31, 1943; 59 combat missions in WWII (VMF-155, Marshall Islands); 90 in Korea (63 with VMF-311, 27 as exchange pilot with USAF 25th Fighter Squadron); 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 18 Air Medals; Project Bullet first supersonic transcontinental flight, July 16, 1957 (3 h 23 min 8.1 s); Mercury astronaut 1959; Friendship 7, first American to orbit Earth, Feb 20, 1962; promoted colonel Oct 27, 1964; retired Jan 4, 1965 after about 23 years.

The transition

• Left NASA Jan 22, 1964 to run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, but withdrew after a severe inner-ear injury from a bathroom fall in February 1964.
• Retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel Jan 4, 1965.
• Became an executive of Royal Crown Cola International, 1965 to 1969, while preparing a political career.
• Lost the 1970 Ohio Democratic Senate primary narrowly to Howard Metzenbaum; won the 1974 rematch and the general election by about 1 million votes, roughly a decade after leaving NASA.

What came next

• U.S. Senator from Ohio 1974 to 1999; re-elected 1980 by 1.6 million votes, then the largest margin in Ohio history.
• Principal author of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Act of 1978.
• Ran for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination.
• Flew on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-95 in October 1998 at age 77.
• Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012) and Congressional Gold Medal; John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State.

In Glenn’s own words

“I came back from World War II and decided I wanted to keep flying. I liked it, I loved it, and I was good at it.” (Interview quoted in DVIDS feature ‘John)

“I thought that was a natural extension of the test pilot work I’d been doing, and sounded like it would be fascinating.” (On volunteering for the astronaut program)

“You fear the least what you know the most about” (1962, during Friendship 7 launch postponements)

“There are times when you devote yourself to a higher cause than personal safety” (1986, to Challenger families)

“we are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves” (2009 Ohio State University commencement speech)

“I figure I’m the same person who grew up in New Concord, Ohio, and went off through the years to participate in a lot of events of importance.” (Interview cited by The New York Times)

Lessons for your own transition

• Plan for false starts: an injury derailed Glenn’s first campaign and he lost his second, yet he won on the third try about 10 years after leaving NASA.
• A bridge job is not a step back; his Royal Crown Cola years gave him business experience and financial footing while he built toward public office.
• Service can change form without ending; Glenn moved from cockpit to Senate and framed both as devotion to something bigger than oneself.

More veterans who made the leap

See them all, and practical steps for leaving after a long career: How do I transition from the military to civilian work after 30 years?.