About Us

We created Trident Tuition Funds to honor J.W. Lunde, one of 49 Scouts and Raiders, First Class trained at Ft. Pierce, 1942. Trident Tuition Funds is a US nonprofit organization dedicated solely to supporting our US Naval Special Operations families private education choice, granting student tuition awards based on financial need:

  • Preschool-aged children,
  • Kindergarten through twelfth grade students, and/or
  • Current College/University students facing financial hardship.

Fact, the daily sacrifices our Navy Special Warfare families make are immeasurable.

About J.W. Lunde
J.W. LundeHe volunteered for the first American WWII commando unit, the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (S&R) – Ft. Pierce; First Class (49 graduates). He served in ten invasion operations, Central Pacific (1943-1945) from the USS Rocky Mount command ship.

After the war, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Mechanical Engineering degree.

After a short tenure with General Electric Co. in Indiana, he left to join the Werner von Braun US space effort 1958; it was under military control.

In 1960, the operation changed to NASA, at which time he led a design and development team as Chief Engineer, creating the J-2 rocket engine with slide rules. The J-2 engine was an integral component in America’s Saturn V Apollo Moon Mission’s success.

The J-2 burned liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power the second stage (cluster of five) and the third stage with a single re-igniting engine. The single J-2 propelled astronauts to the moon and back over 50 years ago.

Jack Lunde lived the ethos he learned while serving his country. In fact, the discipline and innovation required as a Scout and Raider (S&R) carried over into his Engineering career. It was also recognized by his other brothers, the Scottish Rite Masons – Supreme Council conferred Jack the 33rd degree for his major contributions to society, an honor awarded to less than one percent of Freemasons.

In addition, he was a self-taught investor. He influenced the Trident Tuition Funds sponsors daughter, Pati, and son-in-law, Tim, who both share his disciplined and innovative approach to life. Their team effort has expanded his original assets with diversification and additional assets so that his financial legacy is able to share select school choice opportunities for his Navy SEAL Team brothers, their families.

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