When Chris Cassidy was tapped to lead the creation of the National Medal of Honor Museum in 2021, he had no experience in funding-raising or overseeing building of a nearly $300 million project.
But knew plenty about courage, sacrifice and service to the country, the values which National Medal of Honor recipients all share. His own experience, through nearly 30 years of service, first as a U.S. Navy SEAL, and later as NASA astronaut, were the right stuff her brought to the job.
Having achieved the rank of Captain in the Navy and the as as Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA, Cassidy had the leadership experience and organizational skills to preside over the museum development as President and CEO.
"I didn't have a grasp on how to be a CEO but I did know the importance of assembling a team with the expertise to make this happen," he said.
Since Cassidy, 55, maintained his Navy status while working for NASA, he was rapidly approaching the 30-year limit for active duty military service. Only top-level officers such as Admirals are allowed to continue their tenure, he said.
While contemplating options such as staying on as a civilian with NASA or getting involved with commercial space operators such as Space X, he was contacted by a long-time friend, who went through SEAL training with him in 1993. The friend, who was a member of the board of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, knew Cassidy was close to retiring and informed the board that he would be a good candidate for CEO of the museum. He informed Cassidy that the foundation was searching for a CEO for the museum.
"I learned about the museum and interviewed for the job," Cassidy said. "They were interested in me and offered me the job. So, we packed up in Houston and moved to Dallas-Fort Worth."
Cassidy's long and distinguished career in the military and government service and his own experiences made the job of a creating a space to
pay honor and tell the stories of those warriors whose courageous and selfless acts earned them the Medal of Honor, which was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. The medal, now awarded to those who serve in the Army, Navy and Air Force is highest military honor awarded by the U.S. President to those whose bravery exceeded the call of duty, often at peril to their own lives. The medal has been awarded to 3,528 and 61 of the recipients are still alive.
Military service wasn't something Cassidy contemplated while he was growing up in York, Maine. His passion was sports, and he played football, basketball and baseball.
"I was looking for a way to pay for college," he said. "I was a good student but not good enough for an academic scholarship. I was a good athlete but not good enough for an athletic scholarship."
So he set his sights on attending a service academy with the hope of being in the Navy. "I liked the sound of being in the Navy."
After graduating from high school, he completed the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I., in 1989 and received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy. He then earned a master's degree in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
During his 10 years of service as a Navy SEAL, he took part in multiple deployments in Afghanistan and the Mediterranean. He was awarded two Bronze Stars; one with combat 'V' and the second Bronze Star and a Presidential Unit Citation for leading a nine-day operation in the Zharwar Kili cave complex on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, both during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cassidy's career pivot from active duty in the Navy to space exploration was the result of meeting Bill Shepherd, a retired Navy Captain, former Navy SEAL and NASA astronaut. The encounter changed the direction of Cassidy's career.
"I though you had to be pilot to be an astronaut," Cassidy said. He learned from Shepherd that the only requirements were a college degree and being an American citizen.
Cassidy applied and was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in 2004. In 2006, he completed the intensive Astronaut Candidate Training, which included Space Shuttle and International Space Systems training, water and wilderness survival training.
His first spaceflight assignment was as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor to the International Space Station. During his career as an astronaut, he participated in three space flights and 10 space walks. Besides flights aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, he flew aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. In total, he spent 377 days in space, including six months in 2020. He was named NASA's Chief Astronaut in 2015 and served in the role for two years.
Cassidy said he truly enjoyed the experience of being an astronaut and his space voyages. "It was a lot of fun," he said.