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14-01-09 Scott Gration to Be NASA Administrator,Report Suggests

Retired Air Force Major General and Obama Loyalist Considered Unusual Pick.Retired Major General Scott Gration has reportedly been picked to be NASA Administrator.Gration's experience in space matters consists of a year as a White House fellow working for then Deputy Administrator Hans Mark in the early 1980s.Scott Gration's career in the Air Force started in 1974 when he joined after taking a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Rutgers University.Scott Gration,who grew up in the Congo as the son of missionary parents,served in Kenya as a flight instructor in 1980. After his stint as a White House Fellow,Scott Gration served in a variety of military posts.Scott Gration was in command of the 4404 Operations Group (Provisional) in Saudi Arabia when the Khobar Towers were bombed in 1996.Scott Gration commanded the 39th Wing in Turkey and oversaw the northern No Fly Zone over Iraq.Scott Gration was Deputy Director for Operations (J-39,responsible for civil-military operations) in the Joint Staff in 2001.Hence,Scott Gration was present at the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9/11.Scott Gration commanded Joint Task Force-West during Operation Iraqi Freedom.Scott Gration met Barack Obama during a fact finding tour by the latter as a Senator in Africa in 2006.So impressed was Scott Gration that he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and endorsed Obama for President.Scott Gration has since served as Obama as a campaign surrogate and policy advisor