Astronaut. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was an engineer, Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy and a NASA Astronaut in the Apollo program. On January 27, 1967, during a training exercise and pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission, Chaffee was killed, along with Astronauts Edward White and Gus Grissom in a command module fire, on the launching pad at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the 8 seconds that the fire raged, Chaffee stayed strapped to his seat and continued to relay emergency messages and vital information to the blockhouse while his two crew mates tried in vain to open the hatch. He posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal, Purple Heart and the US Navy Air Medal. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)  Family links:  Parents:  Donald Lynn Chaffee (1910 – 1998)  Blanche May Mosher Chaffee (1912 – 1996)  Sibling:  Donna Mae Chaffee Young (1932 – 2002)*  Roger Bruce Chaffee (1935 – 1967) *Calculated relationship Inscription:MICHIGANLCDRUS NAVYAM