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
From RUPNEWS September 2003…
Ken Tobiason wrote: “In late 1966 Bob Hope, Les Brown and some gorgeous beauties were entertaining a huge throng of GIs at Long Binh near Bien Hoa, our base. We got a report that his venue was being set up for a mortar attack, devastating for a such concentrated assembly.
The reports kept coming in stating the VC were in the open, approaching on the road (really), from the west, with mortars and only three miles out. Finally, we got the launch orders for napalm and 20mm. We made our initial attack from directly over the huge crowd. The Stars and Stripes re- ported that Hope wisecracked that the USAF was trying to get in on the act. Bob, if you only knew.”
Ken Tobiason’s Silver Star reads: “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Kenneth Franklin Tobiason, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force, as an F-100 pilot with the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Republic of Vietnam, on 19 August 1967.
On that date, Captain Tobiason was the leader of a flight of three F-100’s who provided fighter air support enabling the rescue of two downed United States Army helicopter crewmen under attack by an overwhelming hostile force. Responding instantly to the request for support by the crew of the downed aircraft, Captain Tobiason completely disregarding his own personal safety, voluntarily executed continuous low altitude dry passes through extremely heavy hostile automatic weapons fire to protect the downed aircrew until rescue forces arrived.
When a Forward Air Controller arrived and cleared his flight to expend ordnance, Captain Tobiason’s outstanding courage and unerring accuracy directly resulted in the successful defense and recovery of the two downed aircrew members and inflicted severe damage upon the hostile weapons positions. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Tobiason has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”(1)
Source: (1) https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/24813
