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
J.C. Nabors was from Tulsa, OK, and had enlisted in the USAF. One source says Major J.C. Nabors had been involved with a “special project” missions headquartered out of the 7th Air Force Headquarters at Tan Son Nhut AB. He was testing the use of “High Drag” bombs in combat from the F-100 platform at Phan Rang AB. The crash occurred on his 2nd tour of Vietnam.
Major J.C. Nabors and SSgt T.P. Kulick (photographer) were flying in F-100 #553541 on a mission to detect a VietCong base camp when their aircraft was hit with heavy automatic weapons in Binh Duong Province. Major Nabors was killed in the crash, and SSgt Kulick survived. Both were picked up by an Army Helo.
J C Nabors is buried or memorialized at Memorial Park Cemetery, Ada, Oklahoma, and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 14e, Line 87.
Sources: TogetherWeServed.org, and HonorStates.org, Dewey’s list and http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-2-may-1967-rolling-thunder-56/
J C Nabors is buried or memorialized at Memorial Park Cemetery, Ada, OK and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 14e, Line 87.
