When U.S. Navy Commander John Bennett Herrington, a Chickasaw citizen, becomes the first Native American astronaut in space, he will carry a tribal flag presented to him by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. Cmdr. Herrington will include the flag among the limited number of personal items crew members are allowed to bring on the space shuttle Endeavor, set for November 2 launch. "It is a source of great pride to know Commander Herrington is carrying the Chickasaw flag, literally and figuratively, on his mission," Gov. Anoatubby said. " He is a wonderful role model, not only because of his accomplishments, but because he is using his platform as an astronaut to encourage and inspire young people to pursue their dreams."
Cmdr. Herrington was born in Oklahoma and has always been proud of being Chickasaw. His family moved so often when he was young, he had little opportunity to learn about his heritage. "I knew where I came from and what my heritage was because of my parents, but not being in the environment, I didn't grow up around it," Cmdr. Herrington said. "So I didn't experience it. My great-grandmother spoke the language, but didn't speak it to grandpa. If she did, he didn't speak it to you. So they never learned the language. Back in that period of time, I guess no one really talked about it, because being an Indian was something people didn't talk about." Being American Indian and being proud of the fact, however, is something Cmdr. Herrington does talk about on his many trips to schools across the country. He tells students they should take advantage of opportunities to learn about their heritage. "I always was proud of the fact I was Chickasaw because my brother and I were the only Chickasaws I knew besides my mom. As you get older, you realize that there is something about that part of your life you want to know more about." Cmdr. Herrington, who daydreamed about being an astronaut as a child, also tells students about the importance of education in making dreams come true. "I used to sit in a cardboard box with my brother and Lynn Miller, and we would pretend we were Apollo astronauts.
It was in Black Forest, Colorado, and we had this big cardboard box downstairs, and the three of us would sit side by side. "You know, you dream about it, but never think it's something you will achieve." The possibility of making that dream a reality started sinking in when Cmdr. Herrington was a naval aviator and test pilot. "In test pilot school you see the names of all the graduates who have gone before you and and all the plaques and pictures there. So you start picking out people you admired growing up who were astronauts, and you realize you are doing the exact same thing they had done early in their careers." At that point, he decided to try make the leap from being a test pilot to being accepted into the space program. In a very competitive process, where thousands apply for a few dozen slots, he decided that furthering his education might give him a better chance. "You need a master's degree to be competitive. You don't have to have it, but obviously it makes you more competitive. "Competitive enough to be selected by NASA in 1996. "I applied twice; the second time after I got my master's, I was interviewed and accepted on the same application."
Cmdr. Herrington would never have been in a position to apply, had he not decided to go back to school after a bad first experience at college. "I started out college not knowing what to do, and I didn't study very hard, didn't do very well. Once I had been out of school for a year and worked for an engineering firm, I realized that was something I was interested in. I got excited about it and that led to a degree in mathematics." He draws on his own experience when advising young students. "Find something you like to do. When you find something you like to do, it makes the study that much more enjoyable. If you are studying something and you don't know what you're going to do with it, it's more of a chore. It's more difficult, so you don't have the enjoyment out of it. Find something that excites you." After years of work, Cmdr. Herrington has a chance to fulfill his own exciting childhood dream of going into space. While he has a variety of duties as flight engineer on the shuttle, his primary mission is to complete three space walks and help assemble a portion of the space station. He will also be responsible for the computer system that presents information to the flight commander and pilot during the docking procedure with the space station.
