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1959 WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT DEKE

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Here is Deke Slayton's American National Red Cross Advanced Survival Swimming card (3½"x2½"), encased in plastic dated 19 June 1959. Along with the card is a short (one paragraph) bio signed by him. On a separate page is a photocopy of two comments on his swimming by fellow Mercury astronauts. Wally Schirra states: "Deke Slayton could not swim. He was the best scuba diver of all the Mercury astronauts because he would go to the bottom right away! Gus and I would have to dive down to bring him back to the surface." Scott Carpenter writes: "Deke's wife Marge remarked one day that he had been at home practicing in the kitchen sink, trying to inhale through his mouth with his head above water and exhale through his nose while submerged. He did that whole training without ever telling anyone that he didn't know how to swim!" An amazing story. Should be framed into a nice presentation.

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