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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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English, J. D.

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  • English, J. D.

J.D. English

Preferred Name: J.D.
Nickname/Call Sign: The Lone Ranger
Date of Birth: March 25, 1947
Highest Military Grade: 0-6 – Colonel
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Biography
Pilot Information
Album

JD says “Proudly, my first flight in the Texas Air National Guard was a check ride with the great Les Leavoy. As a young Fighter Pilot, I could not have had a better Mentor.”

JD is the co-owner of a consulting company, Garza-English & Associates, and is currently consulting for the United States Air Force where he is evaluating, standardizing, and replacing outdated Information Systems.

He spent seven years enlisted service in the United States Marine Corps and then transferred to the United States Air Force where he graduated as a distinguished graduate from Officer Candidate School and served his remaining years as a Fighter Pilot. He received many rewards for serving his country throughout his career. After 37 years of military service, he retired in 2003. JD also retired as an International Pilot for American Airlines.

In his years of volunteer service, he served on the Board of the Mental Health Association in Greater San Antonio, the San Antonio Airport Advisory Board and was the Texas Air National Guard Community Liaison Officer. Other volunteer activities included many years of mentoring at-risk students, building homes for Habitat for Humanity, and the Children’s Hospital fund-raisers.

JD is the Vice-Chair and Treasurer of the Classical Music Institute in San Antonio. His interest in music greatly increased over the years because of his son, Joseph Gonzalez, who is now a premiere percussionist.

Excerpted from Col. JD English | Classical Music Institute (cmi-sa.org)

Units Assigned

  • 1966-1972 USMC
  • 1972-2003 USAF/Texas ANG (F-100, F-4, F-16)

Awards & Decorations

Flight Info

F-100 (1,243 hrs)
F-4 (1,079 hrs)
F-16 (1,108 hrs)

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • 11 Military Correspondence Courses
  • Squadron Officers School
  • Air Command & Staff
  • Air War College

Civilian Education:

  • AAS/Computer Science – San Antonio College
  • BBA/Industrial Management – the University of Texas at Austin
  • MBA/Operations Management – St Mary’s University

English, JD Now
Album Slideshow
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