Memorial for John Glenn, first American in space, held in Ohio

The nation's vice president and a retired Marine Corps general were among the dignitaries, family members, and other mourners who paid their respects on Saturday at a memorial tribute to the late space hero John Glenn.

Roughly 2,500 people gathered at Mershon Auditorium on the Ohio State University campus for "a celebration of life" for the former fighter pilot, history-making astronaut, and longtime Democratic U.S. senator from small-town Ohio. He was remembered not only for bravery, but also for his thoughtful consideration for others, his integrity, and his patriotic optimism.

"I think John defined what it meant to be an American, what we were about, just by how we acted," said Vice President Joe Biden, a former colleague of Glenn's in the US Senate.

Glenn died on December 8 at age 95. He was the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1962, and then in 1998 he became the oldest person in space at 77.

TRT World reports.