NStar Articles

After his death, William C. McCool was awarded the third highest honor bestowed on an astronaut—the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He also received the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal. On October 7, 2023, Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro posthumously promoted Cmdr. William “Willie” C. McCool to the rank of Captain. Captain William C. McCool made tremendous contributions to the U.S. Navy, NASA and the world throughout his extraordinary life. Although it was cut short tragically when the vessel he was commanding, the space shuttle Columbia, was lost, his achievements will never be forgotten.

November 12, 2022 had already been a long and exciting day for the USNA club karate team, Navy Karate, at the American Kyokushin International Tournament in Holley, New York. Then-President, Midshipman LTJG Larah Alberto, stepped onto the mat for her last fight of the night. She faced an exceedingly tough opponent, a woman who had just prevailed over Alberto’s fellow teammate, and now the fight was intense, rising to a crescendo of heavy body blows on both sides. As current Navy Karate Vice President Dylan Steidley tells it, “Then out of the corner of the room, someone from the audience yelled "Go Navy!" Larah kicked it (literally) into high gear, throwing a flurry of solid strikes and kicks in quick succession with considerable power, pushing her opponent out of the ring, and winning the fight.”

They met when he was a sophomore and she was a freshman at Ayala High School in Chino Hills, California. She jumped into his lane at a varsity swim practice and “immediately started cooking everyone in every swim set,” he says. “So she stood out to me. We’ve been best friends since then but we began dating in the summer after my youngster, or 2nd year, at USNA.” That’s when Justin Chu (Class of 2023) knew Anna Cohee was special.