Editing Buzz Aldrin (section)

== Military career ==
Among the top of his class, Aldrin had his choice of assignments. He chose the [[United States Air Force]], which had become a separate service in 1947 while Aldrin was still at West Point and did not yet have its own academy.{{sfn|Grier|2016|pp=89–90}}{{efn|A 1949 agreement allowed up to 25{{nbsp}}percent of the graduating classes of West Point and Annapolis to volunteer for the Air Force. Between 1950, when the agreement became effective, and 1959, when the first class graduated from the [[United States Air Force Academy]], about 3,200 West Point cadets and Annapolis midshipmen chose to do so.{{sfn|Mitchell|1996|pp=60–61}}}} He was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] and underwent basic flight training in [[T-6 Texan]]s at [[Bartow Air Base]] in [[Florida]]. His classmates included [[Sam Johnson]], who later became a [[prisoner of war]] in Vietnam; the two became friends. At one point, Aldrin attempted a double [[Immelmann turn]] in a [[T-28 Trojan]] and suffered a [[grayout]]. He recovered in time to pull out at about {{convert|2,000|ft}}, averting what would have been a fatal crash.{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=90}}

[[File:Buzz Aldrin in the cockpit of an F-86 Sabre.png|thumb|left|Aldrin in the cockpit of a [[51st Fighter Interceptor Wing]] [[F-86 Sabre]] after shooting down a [[MiG-15]] fighter during the [[Korean War]]|alt=Aldrin in a cockpit with canopy pulled back]]
When Aldrin was deciding what sort of aircraft he should fly, his father advised him to choose [[bomber]]s, because command of a bomber crew gave an opportunity to learn and hone leadership skills, which could open up better prospects for career advancement. Aldrin chose instead to fly [[fighter aircraft|fighters]]. He moved to [[Nellis Air Force Base]] in [[Las Vegas]], where he learned to fly the [[F-80 Shooting Star]] and the [[F-86 Sabre]]. Like most jet [[fighter pilot]]s of the era, he preferred the latter.{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=90}}

In December 1952, Aldrin was assigned to the [[16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]], which was part of the [[51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing]]. At the time it was based at [[Suwon Air Base]], about {{convert|20|mi}} south of [[Seoul]], and was engaged in combat operations as part of the Korean War.{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=588}}{{sfn|Aldrin|Abraham|2009|pp=90–91}} During an acclimatization flight, his main fuel system froze at 100{{nbsp}}percent power, which would have soon used up all his fuel. He was able to override the setting manually, but this required holding a button down, which in turn made it impossible to also use his radio. He barely managed to make it back under enforced radio silence. He flew 66 [[Aerial warfare|combat missions]] in F-86 Sabres in Korea and shot down two [[MiG-15]] aircraft.{{sfn|Aldrin|Abraham|2009|pp=90–91}}{{sfn|Grier|2016|pp=90–91}}

The first MiG-15 he shot down was on May 14, 1953. Aldrin was flying about {{convert|5|mi}} south of the [[Yalu River]], when he saw two MiG-15 fighters below him. Aldrin opened fire on one of the MiGs, whose pilot may never have seen him coming.{{sfn|Aldrin|Abraham|2009|pp=90–91}}{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=91}} The June 8, 1953, issue of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine featured gun camera footage taken by Aldrin of the pilot ejecting from his damaged aircraft.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Communist Pilot is Catapulted from Crippled MIG |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EcEAAAAMBAJ |access-date=November 8, 2012 |date=June 8, 1953 |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |issn=0024-3019 |page=29 |volume=34 |issue=23}}</ref>

[[File:EJECTION OF A MIG PILOT - This unusual sequence of photos, taken by gun camera film of a U.S. Air Force F-86 "Sabre"... - NARA - 542261.jpg|thumb|right|Aldrin's gun camera footage featured in ''Life'' magazine|alt=six shots of a MiG, showing the pilot bailing out]]
Aldrin's second aerial victory came on June 4, 1953, when he accompanied aircraft from the [[39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]] in an attack on an airbase in North Korea. Their newer aircraft were faster than his and he had trouble keeping up. He then spotted a MiG approaching from above. This time, Aldrin and his opponent spotted each other at about the same time. They went through a series of [[The Scissors|scissor maneuvers]], attempting to get behind the other. Aldrin was first to do so, but his gun sight jammed. He then manually sighted his gun and fired. He then had to pull out, as the two aircraft had gotten too low for the dogfight to continue. Aldrin saw the MiG's canopy open and the pilot eject, although Aldrin was uncertain whether there was sufficient time for a parachute to open.{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=91}}{{sfn|Aldrin|Abraham|2009|pp=91–93}} For his service in Korea, he was awarded two [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Crosses]] and three [[Air Medal]]s.<ref name="West Point">{{cite web |url=https://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=556 |publisher=West Point Association of Graduates |title=2000 Distinguished Graduate Award |date=May 17, 2000 |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>

Aldrin's year-long tour ended in December 1953, by which time the fighting in Korea had ended. Aldrin was assigned as an [[Air gunner|aerial gunnery]] instructor at Nellis.{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=588}} In December 1954 he became an [[aide-de-camp]] to [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Don Z. Zimmerman]], the [[Dean of Faculty]] at the nascent [[United States Air Force Academy]], which opened in 1955.<ref name="nasabio" />{{sfn|Hansen|2005|p=354}} That same year, he graduated from the [[Squadron Officer School]] at [[Maxwell Air Force Base]] in Alabama.{{sfn|Hansen|2005|p=353}} From 1956 to 1959 he flew [[F-100 Super Sabre]]s equipped with [[nuclear weapon]]s as a flight commander in the [[22nd Fighter Squadron]], [[36th Fighter Wing]], stationed at [[Bitburg Air Base]] in [[West Germany]].{{sfn|Cullum|1960|p=588}}{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=91}}<ref name="nasabio" /> Among his squadron colleagues was [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]], who had been a year behind him at West Point. After White left West Germany to study for a master's degree at the [[University of Michigan]] in [[aeronautical engineering]], he wrote to Aldrin encouraging him to do the same.{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=92}}
[[File:Buzz Aldrin in the cockpit of a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star.jpg|thumb|left|Aldrin in the cockpit of a [[Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star]] as an instructor at [[Bryan Air Force Base]], Texas|alt=Aldrin in cockpit, canopy tilted up]]

Through the [[Air Force Institute of Technology]], Aldrin enrolled as a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959 intending to earn a master's degree.{{sfn|Chaikin|2007|p=139}} [[Richard Battin]] was the professor for his [[astrodynamics]] class. Two other USAF officers who later became astronauts, [[David Scott]] and [[Edgar Mitchell]], took the course around this time. Another USAF officer, [[Charles Duke]], also took the course and wrote his 1964 master's degree at MIT under the supervision of [[Laurence R. Young]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://news.mit.edu//2009/techtalk53-27.pdf |magazine=TechTalk |volume=53 |issue=27 |pages=6–8 |title=To the Moon, by way of MIT |first=David L. |last=Chandler |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210223224/http://news.mit.edu/2009/techtalk53-27.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Aldrin enjoyed the classwork and soon decided to pursue a doctorate instead.{{sfn|Chaikin|2007|p=139}} In January 1963, he earned a [[Sc.D.]] degree in [[astronautics]].<ref name="nasabio">{{cite web |url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/aldrin-b.html |title=Astronaut Bio: Buzz Aldrin |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402074622/http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/aldrin-b.html|archive-date=April 2, 2009|publisher=NASA|access-date=August 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="dspace.mit.edu">{{cite thesis |publisher=MIT |title=Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous |date=1963 |last=Aldrin |first=Buzz |type=Sc.D.|hdl = 1721.1/12652}}</ref> His doctoral thesis was ''Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous'', the dedication of which read: "In the hopes that this work may in some way contribute to their exploration of space, this is dedicated to the crew members of this country's present and future manned space programs. If only I could join them in their exciting endeavors!"<ref name="dspace.mit.edu" /> Aldrin chose his doctoral thesis in the hope that it would help him be selected as an astronaut, although it meant foregoing [[test pilot]] training, which was a prerequisite at the time.{{sfn|Chaikin|2007|p=139}}

After completing his doctorate Aldrin was assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Space Systems Division in [[Los Angeles]],{{sfn|Grier|2016|p=92}} working with the [[Lockheed Aircraft Corporation]] on enhancing the maneuver capabilities of the [[Agena target vehicle]] which was to be used by [[NASA]]'s [[Project Gemini]]. He was then posted to the Space Systems Division's field office at NASA's [[Manned Spacecraft Center]] in [[Houston]], where he was involved in integrating [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] experiments into Project Gemini flights.{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=285}}