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Norfolk Academy was honored on Tuesday afternoon, November 18, with a visit from Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.) whose extraordinary career of service to our nation has included stints as a combat commander, astronaut, and head of NASA.

Bolden talked to Middle and Upper School students about his upbringing in segregated South Carolina, his path to success, and the present and future of space exploration. He also answered their insightful questions on those topics and more.

A 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy, Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions during the Vietnam War. In 1980, he earned selection as an astronaut candidate. Working his way up the ranks, he ultimately piloted missions including Space Shuttle Columbia (1986) and Space Shuttle Discovery (1990). In the 1990s he returned to military service and was the Commanding General of the Marine expeditionary force attached to Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003, and returned to space expedition. He served as NASA's top Administrator from 2009-17.

That remarkable lifetime of service drew a standing ovation from every student in Johnson Theater. Pursue your dreams and don't be afraid of failure, he told them.

“I am an ordinary person who has been blessed to do extraordinary things."