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
1LT Charles E. McLeish was a U.S. Air Force pilot serving with the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Phan Rang Airbase, RVN. Missions of the 35th TFW included air support of ground forces, interdiction, visual and armed reconnaissance, strike assessment photography, escort, close and direct air support, and rapid reaction alert.
On August 21, 1970, 1LT McLeish was on a training mission in a USAF North American F-100D Super Sabre (#56-3435) jet fighter aircraft in a flight of two F-100’s. During the mission, his plane was observed roll and crash one mile south of Dak To in Kontum Province, RVN. No ejection occurred and McLeish was killed. He was posthumously promoted to Captain. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, wikipedia.org, and “Headquarters MACV – Monthly Summary for August 1970” at ttu.edu]
Charles Edward McLeish is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin, and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. His name is inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 08w, Line 128.
Sources: Bio info- HonorStates.org; TheWallofFaces.org; Findagrave.com
