Famed military aviator, General Chuck Yeager, died peacefully on December 7, 2020 at the age of 97. He was widely renowned as the first aviator to break the sound barrier in 1947, and was a celebrated World War II fighter ace with 11.5 kills. Born in West Virginia in 1923, Yeager was a high school dropout who enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941. In October of 1945, he was promoted to Captain and was the commander of the 417th Fighter Squadron. With a decorated service record and several awards including the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and French Legion of Honour, among others, Yeager retired from the Air Force in 1975 as a Brigadier General. Yeager went on to rise to fame as the first to break the sound barrier flying the X-1 experimental aircraft in 1947, earning him the MacKay and Collier trophies; in addition, Yeager was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Yeager continued flying until 2002, where his final flight was in an F-15D to the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs, Colorado in honor of his long-time friend and test pilot Jeff Ethell. Yeager continued to be featured in multiple books, documentaries and films about the test pilot program. Yeager is survived by his wife Victoria Scott D'Angelo, two children and four stepchildren.