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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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Williams, Howard K. – KIA

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  • Williams, Howard K. – KIA

Howard Keith Williams - KIA

Preferred Name: Keith
Nickname/Call Sign: MIsty 43
Date of Birth: October 25, 1936
Highest Military Grade: 0-5 – Lieutenant Colonel
Hometown: Steubenville, OH
Headed West Date: March 18, 1968
Biography
Pilot Information
Album

Lieutenant Colonel Williams entered the U.S. Air Force from West Virginia and served with the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On March 18, 1968, he copiloted an F-100F Super Sabre (tail number 56-3784, call sign “Misty 43”) on a mission over North Vietnam. His aircraft crashed for unknown reasons, killing Lt Col Williams.  His co-pilot ejected and was rescued.

Keith Williams was married at the time of the loss.

Williams’ remains were not recovered at the time. In 1991, a U.S. investigative team traveled to a crash site in Quang Binh Province, central Vietnam, and recovered human remains and personal effects correlating to this incident. They were able to identify Lt Col Williams from those remains.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. Keith is also honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. His name is inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 45e, Line 32.

 

Sources: Bio info/photo – HonorStates.org; POWnetwork.org; Findagrave.com

Units Assigned

  • 2/1957-6/1958 Aviation Cadets Class 58-0
  • /1968 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force, Phu Cat AB, Vietnam (F-100)

Awards & Decorations

Purple Heart
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Cross Of Gallantry
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
AF Good Conduct Medal
Air Force Good Conduct Medal
US Air Force Pilot Badge
United States Aviator Badge Air Force

Flight Info

F-100

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • Aviation Cadets Class 58-0

Williams Howard Keith 2
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