Legendary aviator Col. Joe Kittinger to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery

ORLANDO, Fla. — U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, an internationally renowned pilot and balloonist, will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery next week.

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The ceremony to honor the memory of the war hero and aviation pioneer will be held at 3 p.m. Monday.

Kittinger passed away in Orlando in December 2023 at the age of 94.

He famously set the record for the highest parachute jump and freefall on Aug. 16, 1960, as part of Project Excelsior.

Read: Orlando legend Col. Joe Kittinger dies at 94

Kittinger jumped from a high-altitude balloon at 102,800 feet and fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

It would be 53 years before that record was broken.

Orlando is the home to Colonel Joe Kittinger Park at South Crystal Lake Drive and East South Street.

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The park was initially dedicated in September 1992 and was refurbished in 2011.

During Monday’s ceremony, Kittinger, and his 29 years of service in the US Air Force, will be honored by a flyby of four F-16s.

“This is such an honor for Joe’s final resting place to be Arlington National Cemetery and we are grateful for the outpouring of love that the community provided me and my family this past year,” said Sherry Kittinger, Joe’ Kittinger’s wife/widow for over 38 years. “We will miss Joe’s spirit and determination to serve this great country, but also the love and dedication to our family.”

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Joe Kittinger served three combat tours during the Vietnam War, flying more than 483 combat missions.

During his third tour, he was shot down, captured, and spent 11 months as a POW in the “Hanoi Hilton.”

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