JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - "Lt. Col. Yates is a great American. His sacrifice and dedication to our nation and his community have helped ensure the freedom and equality of all Americans," said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist moments before presenting the Air Force veteran with the Medal of Merit last month at the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing.
Crist presented the medal to retired Lt. Col. Alton Yates, 72, who served as a volunteer test astronaut in the early days of the space program and a well-known leader during the civil rights movement in Jacksonville.
The Medal of Merit is the highest military honor the governor can bestow and is reserved for those who give exceptional service while on active duty.
In 1956, Yates, an airman second class in the Air Force, volunteered for the Rocket Sled Testing Program at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
At the very beginning of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, little was known about how far the body could be stressed and still survive.
The rocket sleds were designed by space pioneer Col. (Dr.) John Paul Stapp to test a human's ability to tolerate gravitational forces during liftoff, reentry and recovery.
Famed researcher known as "the fastest human on earth," Stapp attained a then-world record land speed of 632 mph in 1954, going from a standstill to that speed in five seconds on a specially designed rocket sled that screeched to a dead stop in 1.4 seconds, sustaining more than 40 G's of thrust; the equivalent of hitting a brick wall in a car at 120 mph.
Two years later, Stapp recruited the young Yates for the program, and for the next four years, the Air Force supply clerk rode a sled called the "Bopper" a record 65 times. The sled, more or less a slingshot, accelerated from zero to more than 400 miles per hour in seconds, then slammed to a stop.
Along with the rocket sled testing, Yates also ascended to more than 65,000 feet in balloons testing pressure suits for astronauts. On one test run, his equipment malfunctioned and he passed out before parachuting back to earth using experimental equipment.
After leaving the active Air Force in 1959, Yates returned home to Jacksonville becoming a leader in the civil rights movement by joining demonstrations inside restaurants and drug stores in an attempt to end segregation.
He also helped encourage racial diversity and equality in the military while serving from 1981 to 1996 in the Florida Air National Guard, where he worked as an Equal Opportunity officer in the Florida Guard's St. Augustine headquarters.
"Yates is as close to a true American hero as I have met," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, the adjutant general of Florida. "He was a pioneer in the early days of our nation's space effort, risking his life countless times while testing the rocket sleds used in space flight research. He also acted bravely and courageously in the civil rights struggle in his community for many years. He is very deserving of this honor."
Yates served as aide to the Jacksonville mayor during five administrations and was executive director of the city's Community Relations Commission. He also served on Leadership Florida, Leadership Jacksonville, and was a board member of Florida Community College. His wife of more than 40 years, Gwen, was a Jacksonville City Council member.
Accepting the award "on behalf of all those who volunteer who risk their lives for America's Space Program," Yates said, "I owe a great deal to the late Col. John Paul Stapp. He taught me that man is capable of accomplishing any goal he wishes to reach in life as long as he has confidence in himself."
Yates credited his late father for raising his family with "a deep and abiding respect for this country," and concluded his acceptance speech with "God bless the United States of America."