The Insignia came from the estate of Cmdr Joseph C. Roper. He graduated from US Naval Academy in 1939. In 1942, he participated in Doolittle's Raid on board the USS Enterprise as the Chief Gunnery Officer. He survived 13 major Naval battles in WWII. He later commanded the USS Mansfield Destroyer and USS Columbia Battleship. In late 1940s to early 1950s, he was the Base Operations Officer (2nd in command) for the secret German V-2 Rocket program (Operation Paperclip) at White Sands Missile Base. He worked closely and frequently with Dr. Wernher Von Braun. When he retired from the Navy in 1950s, he worked for NASA for over 35 years of service. Roper designed the re-entry heat shield of the Astronaut Capsules for the Apollo Program. He was an early, behind the scenes NASA rocket pioneer.