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This Day in History – June 10, 1969 – The X-15 gets a place in history

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

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Cortright, Stephen

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Stephen Phelps Cortright

Preferred Name: Steve
Nickname/Call Sign: Reno
Date of Birth: March 26, 1941
Highest Military Grade: 0-8 – Major General
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Biography
Pilot Information
Album

Major General Stephen Phelps Cortright USAF (retired) (born March 26, 1941), is an American military officer and attorney from Oklahoma who served as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma under Governor Frank Keating from 1995 to 2003. Concurrent with his service as Adjutant General, Cortright served in Keating’s Cabinet as the Oklahoma Secretary of the Military.

General Cortright joined the United States Air Force on February 14, 1964. On May 12, 1964, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and entered undergraduate pilot training at Webb Air Force Base in Texas. He is a command pilot with over 5000 hours of military flying time in the T-33, T-37, T-38, RF-4C, F100, A-7, and F-16 aircraft. He flew 217 combat missions while serving in Vietnam from September 1966 through July 1967.

Following the end of the Vietnam War, Cortright returned to Oklahoma and became the operations officer with the 125th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He later became the Squadron’s commander. He then served as the Commander of the 138th Tactical Fighter Group, also based in Tulsa. From 1988 to 1992, Cortright was appointed the headquarters commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. In 1992, he served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the commander, Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

In 1995, Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed Cortright to serve as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, succeeding Gary Maynard. As Adjutant General, General Cortright was the highest-ranking military official in Oklahoma, ranking only behind Governor Keating in his role as Commander-in-Chief. General Cortright oversaw the Oklahoma Military Department and the Oklahoma National Guard. The General remained in that position until the end of Keating’s term in 2003.[2] He was succeeded by Air Force General Harry M. Wyatt III.

 

Units Assigned

  • 5/1964-11/1965 Student pilot training, Webb AFB, TX
  • 11/1965-9/1966 32nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Toul Rosieres AB, France
  • 9/1966-7/1967 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Tan Son Knut AB, Vietnam
  • 8/1967-7/1970 32nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Royal Air Force, Alconbury, England
  • 9/1970-8/1983 125th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Operations officer,  Tulsa, OK (F-100)
  • 8/1983-1/1984 125th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Commander, Tulsa, OK (F-100)
  • 1/1984-4/1988 138th Tactical Fighter Group, Commander  Tulsa, OK
  • 4/1988-3/1992 commander of headquarters, Oklahoma ANG, Oklahoma City, OK
  • 3/1992-3/1995 Air National Guard Assistant to the commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, HI
  • 4/1995 – present, the adjutant general of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • 2003 Retired USAF

Awards & Decorations

Legion Of Merit
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal
Air Medal with 2 Silver/3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award (AFLSA)
Air Force Longevity Service Award with 1 Silver/2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFResM)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Hourglass Device
Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon (SAEMR)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Award with Bronze Star
Air Force Training Ribbon (AFTR)
Air Force Training Ribbon
RVN Gallantry Cross With Palm
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Oklahoma National Guard Meritorious Service Medal Ribbon
Oklahoma Meritorious Service Medal
OK Governor's Distinguished Unit Award
Oklahoma Governor’s Distinguished Unit Award
Oklahoma National Guard Commander’s Trophy Award Ribbon
Oklahoma Commander’s Trophy Award
OK Long Service Ribbon 25yr
Oklahoma National Guard Long Service Medal (25 Years)
1920px Humanitarian Service Medal Ribbon.svg
Humanitarian Service Award

Flight Info

T-33
T-37
T-38
RF 4C
F-100D/F
A-7D/K
F-16C/D

Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: 5,000+

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • 1964 United States Air Force Officer Training School
  • 1974 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
  • 1975 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
  • 1977 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, by correspondence

Civilian Education:

  • 1964 BS/Business Administration, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
  • 1973 Juris Doctor Degree of Law, University of Tulsa

 

The Cortwrights
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