10 June 1969: The U.S. Air Force donated the first North American Aviation X-15, serial number 56-6670, to the Smithsonian Institution for display at the National Air and Space Museum. The first of three X-15A hypersonic research rocketplanes built by North American for the Air Force and the National Advisory Committee (NACA, the predecessor of NASA), 56-6670 made the first glide flight and
John Richard Bottesch enlisted in the USAF through the Reserve Military.
On July 19, 1966, Captain John R. Bottesch and combat cameraman Airman Darryl G. Winters were flying in F-100F (tail number 58-1217) when they were shot down near Tan An, about 17 miles southwest of Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon.
Although Captain Bottesch’s remains were recovered and identified, Airman Winters’s remains were not. John is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 09e, Line 36.
Source: TogetherWeServed
