March 20, 1968 – Major Fred Neal Thompson was flying his F-100D (#553606) on a mission over South Vietnam when he was hit by gunfire. Fred was stationed at Phu Cat with the 416th. In November of 1967, Thompson had received the Distinguished Flying Cross as an F-100 pilot for his actions during an aerial battle. Five months later he was interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. He received an early release by the North Vietnamese on July 22, 1968, and returned home on August 4, 1968. Fred is an SSS Member.
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