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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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Rost, Paul F.

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Paul F. Rost

Preferred Name: Paul
Date of Birth: October 27, 1940
Highest Military Grade: 0-6 – Colonel
Hometown: Jamaica, NY
Biography
Pilot Information
Album

Colonel Paul Rost was born in 1940 in Jamaica, New York City, and raised in the small town of Malverne on Long Island. He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ in June 1962 and was commissioned in the Air Force as a Distinguished ROTC Graduate.

Paul entered Undergraduate Pilot Training in Class 64D at Williams AFB, AZ in November 1962 and trained in the T-37B and T-38A. He graduated in December 1963 and was assigned to Combat Crew Training in the F-100 at Luke AF, AZ from February to September 1964. He served a three-year tour as an F-100D Bomb Commander in the 492 TFS sitting nuclear alert during the Cold War at his home station of RAF Lakenheath, England; and also while on temporary duty to Aviano AB, Italy, and Cigli AB, Turkey.

From December 1967 to December 1968, he flew 350 combat missions in the F-100 from Tuy Hoa AB, RVN. Following tours as a T-37 Instructor Pilot/Flight Examiner and Civil Engineer, he returned to South East Asia in May 1975 as an F-4E combat-ready pilot where he served in the 25 TFS at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand until the final withdrawal of USAF fighters in December 1975.

Colonel Rost served as Operations Officer of the 34th TFS flying F-4Ds at Hill AFB, Utah in 1976-77, and in 1979-81 served as Commander of the squadron as it became the first fighter squadron to be equipped with the F-16A. Serving as a Replacement Training Squadron, the squadron became the first to report mission-ready in the new airplane. He also was the Top Gun in the Wing’s first F-16 Turkey Shoot competition and his squadron was the Top Gun squadron throughout his tour as Commander. The squadron trained NATO pilots from Norway and Denmark, and the first 12 Israeli AF pilots to be qualified in the F-16.

From 1982-87, Colonel Rost served in various positions in the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center including Director of the System Safety Division, and Director of the Reports and Analysis Division of the Air Force Safety Center.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses for Heroism, two Distinguished Flying Crosses for Meritorious Achievement, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Silver Star, the Air Medal with 16 Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Readiness Medal, plus others.

He retired from the Air Force in 1987.

During his career, Colonel Rost was qualified in the T-37B, T-38A, F-100C, and combat-ready in the F-100D/F, F-4D/E, and F-16A/B aircraft.

Units Assigned

  • 1962 Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ (Air Force as a Distinguished ROTC Graduate)
  • 11/1962-12/1963 Undergraduate Pilot Training (Class 64D),  Williams AFB, AZ (T-37B, T-38A)
  • 2/1964-9/1964 Combat Crew Training, Luke AFB, AZ (F-100)
  • 9/1964-12/1967 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, England/Aviano AB, Italy/Cigli AB, Turkey (F-100)
  • 12/1967-12/1968 Tuy Hoa AB, Vietnam (350 combat missions in the F-100)
  • 1969-1975 T-37 Instructor Pilot/Flight Examiner, Civil Engineer
  • 5/1975-12/1975 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Udorn RTAFB, Thailand (F-4E)
  • 1976-1977 34th TFS, Operations Officer, Hill AFB, Utah (F-4D)
  • 1979-1981 34th TFS, Commander, Hill AFB, Utah (F-16A)
  • 1982-1987 Air Force Inspection and Safety Center, Director of the System Safety Division/Director of the Reports and Analysis Division of the Air Force Safety Center.
  • 1987 Retired USAF

Awards & Decorations

Legion Of Merit
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism (2)
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross for Meritorious Achievement (2)
Vietnam Cross Of Gallantry
Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Silver Star
Air Medal
Air Medal (with 16 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Combat Readiness Medal
Combat Readiness Medal

Flight Info

T-37B
T-38A
F-100 C/D/F
F-4 D/E
F-16 A/B

Wall of Honor Location: Foil: 10 Panel: 2 Column: 1 Line: 74
Wall of Honor Level: Air and Space Friend
Dedicated Panel: F100 Super Sabre Society

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • ROTC Distinguished Graduate

Civilian Education:

  • 1962 Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ

Rost_Paul service era photo
Album Slideshow
Slideshow
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Wall of Honor Location

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