Buzz Aldrin to receive honorary appointment as brigadier general

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Buzz Aldrin, 93, the second man to walk on the moon, is getting an honorary promotion to brigadier general.

The announcement was made in a press release from Space Systems Command, sharing that the Apollo 11 mission member would receive the promotion during a ceremony on May 5.

‘Always honored to serve our country,’ Aldrin wrote in a tweet along with the announcement. ‘I will bear true faith and allegiance.’

It’s been a busy year for the retired astronaut who married his 63-year-old sweetheart, Anca Faur, on his birthday in January.

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Buzz Aldrin, 93, the second man to walk on the moon, is getting an honorary promotion to brigadier general

‘Always honored to serve our country,’ Aldrin wrote in a tweet along with the announcement. ‘I will bear true faith and allegiance’

The announcement was made in a press release from Space Systems Command, sharing that the Apollo 11 mission member would receive the promotion during a ceremony on May 5 in Los Angeles. Pictured: Aldrin is seen on the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969

Aldrin shared the happy news on Twitter Friday, including the ‘true faith and allegiance’ quote, which is spoken as part of the oath taken by officers in the military.

The retired astronaut thanked U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, the Air Force, and Department of Defense for the honor.

Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein of the U.S. Space Force will promote Aldrin in the ceremony, which is slated to take place at the Los Angeles Air Force Base.

The private ceremony will also honor the oldest of the surviving four men to walk on the moon.

It has been a long and fulfilling life for the 93-year-old who is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In addition to his work in space, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot from 1952 to 1959 in the Air Force and flew in South Korea and Germany.

While at MIT, the astronaut submitted a thesis on ‘Manned Orbital Rendezvous,’ before his graduation in 1963.

Upon his commencement, he was chosen as one of NASA’s Astronaut Group 3, and flew on Gemini 12 in 1966.

The mission is now regarded as the first ‘completely successful’ spacewalk.

Throughout his life, Aldrin has also been anointed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Air Medals and other awards.

He – along with his other Apollo 11 crew members – also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.

While at MIT, the astronaut submitted a thesis on ‘Manned Orbital Rendezvous,’ before his graduation in 1963. That same year, he was chosen for a space mission on the Gemini 12

It has been a long and fulfilling life for the 93-year-old who is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

In addition to his work in space, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot from 1952 to 1959 in the Air Force and flew in South Korea and Germany

Buzz Aldrin takes the first ever selfie in space in 1966 during the Gemini XII mission, showing the sun reflecting off his visor

From left to right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, Jr. pose for a portrait in their space suits in front of a backdrop showing the Moon

Aldrin’s most recent accomplishment, however, is that of marrying his now-wife.

‘On my 93rd birthday & the day I will also be honored by Living Legends of Aviation I am pleased to announce that my longtime love Dr. Anca Faur & I have tied the knot,’ Aldrin wrote in January.

‘We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles & are as excited as eloping teenagers,’ he said of he and his fourth wife.

Dr. Faur, 63, currently works as the Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC, with her LinkedIn page listing her as having worked for the company since 2019.

Faur has a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and at one point was the treasurer for the California Hydrogen Business Council.

Aldrin has been married and divorced three times prior, to Joan Ann Archer from 1954 to 1974, Beverly Van Zile from 1975 to 1978, and Lois Driggs Cannon from 1988 to 2012.