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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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Lawson, William H.

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  • Lawson, William H.

William H. Lawson

Preferred Name: Bill
Date of Birth: December 2, 1943
Highest Military Grade: 0-7 – Brigadier General
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Biography
Pilot Information

Prior to his retirement in 1998, Brigadier General William H. Lawson was the Tenth Air Force Director of Operations, Air Force Reserve Command, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas.

The general was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He entered the Air Force in 1965 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati and was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He commanded one reserve fighter group and three reserve fighter wings. Air Force reservists trained and assigned under his command were activated during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and he led four fighter squadron deployments for Deny Flight. A command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours, he flew 167 combat missions in Southeast Asia, including 40 sorties over Hanoi, North Vietnam, and combat and support sorties over Bosnia.(1)

Post-Retirement Bill has been active with aviation and community organizations, including:

Fort Worth Air Power Council
Air Force Association: Life Member
AFA Texas President (2011-2013)
AFA Texas Executive Vice President (2009-2011)
Fort Worth AFA Chapter president (2004-2006, 2013-)
VP Texas Scholastic Awards (2005-2011)
Vice-Chairman Texas Aerospace Education Foundation Board (2008-2011)
Consultant-The Spectrum Group, Alexandria VA (1999-2002)
Senior Staff Engineer-Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 2002-2005
Member City of Fort Worth Aviation Advisory Board 2010-2017

(1. source: Https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108839/brigadier-general-william-h-lawson/)

Units Assigned

  • 10/1965-11/1966 Student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese Air Force Base, TX
  • 11/ 1966-9/1967  Student, F-4 replacement training unit, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
  • 9/1967-9/1968 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand (F-4)
  • 10/1968-11/1970 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Bentwaters, United Kingdom (F-4)
  • 11/1970-4/1972 166th Tactical Fighter Squadron/21st Tactical Fighter Wing, Ohio ANG, Lockbourne AFB, OH (F-100)
  • 11/1970-6/1972 166th Tactical Fighter Squadron/1Lockbourne AFB, OH
  • 4/1972-6/1982 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron/301st Tactical Fighter Wing, Carswell AFB, Texas (F-105, F-4)
  • 6/1982-8/1983 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Homestead AFB, FL (F-4D)
  • 8/1983-6/1987 906th Tactical fighter Group, F4D commander, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (F-4D)
  • 6/1987-7/1994 301st Fighter Wing, commander, Carswell Air Reserve Base, TX (F-4D/E, F-16C )
  • 7/1994-5/1998 917th Wing, commander, Barksdale AFB, LA (A-10, B-52H)
  • 5/1998-12/1998, 10th Air Force, director of operations,  Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, TX (A10)
  • 12/2/1998 Retired USAF

Awards & Decorations

Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion Of Merit
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Cluster
Meritorious Service Award
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Air Medal with 12 Oak Leaf Clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with 8 Oak Leaf Clusters
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Flight Info

F-4 C/D/E
F-100 C/D/F
F-105 B/D/F
F-16 C/D
A-10A,
B-52H

Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 6,000 fighter hours including over 300 combat hours over Southeast Asia and Bosnia- Herzegovina

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • 1973 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
  • 1974 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
  • 1982 Air War College, by seminar

Civilian Education:

  • 1965 Bachelor of Arts degree, Foreign Affairs, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
  • 1978 Masters of Liberal Arts, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX

Wall of Honor Location

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The mission of the Super Sabre Society is to preserve the history of the F-100 Super Sabre and the men who flew the aircraft.

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