Robert L. "Bob" Rasmussen (born May 26, 1930 in Rio Vista, California), is a noted military artist; a retired Captain of the United States Navy; a former career naval aviator, primarily in the F-8 Crusader; a former member of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and former Director of the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida.

[1][2] Captain Rasmussen served on active duty from 20 October 1951 to 30 July 1983 and accumulated 5,000 total flight hours with 600 carrier/ship landings or “traps.”[3] Designated a Naval Aviator on 10 March 1953, his first fleet tour was with VF-51 Screaming Eagles at NAS Miramar flying Grumman F9F-2B Panther and North American FJ3 Fury aircraft from 1953-56.

Initially flying the F9F-2B Panther, he participated in the introduction of the Grumman F11F Tiger in the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team in April 1957.

[5] After staff assignments and US Naval Post Graduate School from 1962-1966, he returned to the F-8 community and Miramar at VF-124 Gunfighters, the F-8 fleet replacement squadron (FRS) as prospective Executive Officer (XO) for VF-111 Sundowners.

In 1972, he reported to Concord, California, and took command of USS Mount Hood, a Kilauea-class ammunition ship which deployed again to the sea off Vietnam.

His bronze sculptures include the design of the Spirit of Naval Aviation, displayed at the front entrance of the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida, the Alan Shepard memorial heroic figure[10] at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the World War II[11] and Korean War[12] memorials in Pensacola, Florida.