Hamlin in Lincoln County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
1. Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Monument
Born Myra, Lincoln County, West Virginia, February 13, 1923
Graduated Hamlin High School, 1941
Enlisted Army Air Corps, September 1941
Received Pilots Wings, March 1943
World War II, 64 combat missions, destroyed 13 enemy aircraft
Married Glennis Dickhouse, February 26, 1945
First man to break the Sound Barrier, October 14, 1947
Service
Commander 417 Fighter Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany 1954-55
Commander 1st Fighter Squadron 413 Fighter Wing, George Air Force Base, California and Moron Air Force Base, Spain
Graduated Air War College June 1961
Commandant Aerospace Research Pilot School 1962-66
Commander 406 Fighter Wing, Clark Air Base Philippines
Flew 127 missions in South Vietnam
Vice Commander 17th Air Force Ramstein Air Base, Germany 1971
Director Air Force Safety Center, Morton Air Force Base, California 1973
Retired from Air Force March 1, 1975
Awards
Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with Two Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal with V Device
Air Medal with Ten Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Purple Heart
Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem with
this page online
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon
Mackey Trophy
One of Ten Outstanding Young Men of 1954 by U.S. Jaycees
Harmon International Trophy 1954
Elected to Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, Ohio 1973
Special Congressional Silver Medal 1976
Honorary Doctor of Science 1948, West Virginia University
Honorary Doctor of Science 1969, Marshall University
Honorary Doctor of Aeronautical Science 1975, Salem College
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Heroes • War, Vietnam • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Valor in Aerial Operations series lists.
Location. 38° 16.719′ N, 82° 6.071′ W. Memorial is in Hamlin, West Virginia, in Lincoln County. It is on Court Avenue (State Highway 3) 0.1 miles east of May Street, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located on the Hamlin Grade School grounds, in the center of the front entrance courtyard on Court Avenue. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 8130 Court Avenue, Hamlin WV 25523, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Greater Charleston Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lincoln County Veterans Memorial (approx. Ό mile away); Hamlin (approx. Ό mile away); Lincoln County World War I Monument
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
2. Monument detail: "front" panel (south)
More about this memorial. Marker consists of a life-size bronze statue atop a 6-foot tall polished granite pedestal with engraved text panels on three sides.
Also see . . . Chuck Yeager Biography. After attending the Flight Performance School, Chuck Yeager was chosen to test pilot the Bell X-1 rocket in 1947. Naming the jet “Glamorous Glennis” after his wife, Yeager on October 14th reached a top speed of 700 mph at 43,000 feet, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier (Mach 1). (Submitted on November 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
3. Monument detail: "Service" panel (west)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
4. Monument detail: "Awards" panel (east)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
5. Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Monument (three sides)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 6, 2013
6. Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Monument (wide view; Hamlin Grade School behind)
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 6, 2025
7. Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Marker quotes (north side)
Always leave yourself a way out
Brigadier General Charles E. Yeager
To the youth of Lincoln County who, despite humble beginnings, may aspire to contribute to a better world.
Charles E. Yeager Statue Committee
Brigadier General Charles E. Yeager
To the youth of Lincoln County who, despite humble beginnings, may aspire to contribute to a better world.
Charles E. Yeager Statue Committee
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,020 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on June 3, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
