The U.S. Navy dive medical team with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group ONE (EODGRU-1) pose for a group photo while underway on Amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) in the Pacific Ocean, April 9, 2026. John P. Murtha is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations supporting NASA’s Artemis II mission, retrieving the crew and spacecraft following their return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a flight around the moon in the Orion space capsule, marking the first time humans journeyed to deep space in over 50 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class August Clawson)
Navy Office of Community Outreach
The first face the Artemis II crew will see upon their return to Earth will be the face of a U.S. Navy sailor, who is originally from Oklahoma.
Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge, from Cushing, will be the first member to make contact with the crew upon their return to Earth. Assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit 1, he will open the capsule, enter the space, and begin medical assessments.
“Coming from three generations of military service in my family, I’m honored to serve as the senior dive independent duty corpsman for this mission,” Aldridge said. “This effort is the culmination of both our training to bring world class care to the Artemis II crew and countless dedicated years of Navy Diving and Navy medicine.”
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The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
More information is available here: https://www.navy.mil/navy-250/
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