Today’s post is in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Mark Jackson, who gave his life for our country on this date in 2002. The 40-year-old native of Glennie, MI was killed in a terrorist attack in the Philippines. He was serving in the 1st Special Forces Group.
1947: (Featured image) Former World War II ace George Welch climbs into the cockpit of his North American Aviation XF-86 for the maiden flight of the Sabre. When the Korean War breaks out, F-86 pilots will dominate the skies, with its pilots boasting a 10:1 kill ratio over the once-feared MiG-15s. Of the war’s 40 American aces, all but one are Sabre pilots.
1951: The Air Force activates the 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron at the Missile Test Center, which is now part of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (FL). The squadron was armed with primitive cruise missiles (surface-to-surface) such as the Republic-Ford JB-2 – a copy of Nazi Germany’s V-1 buzzbomb – and the B-61 Matador missile, an improved design which could be armed with a 40-kiloton nuclear warhead.
In less than three years, the unit is deployed to West Germany’s Bitburg Air Base where it becomes the 1st Tactical Missile squadron – America’s first operational missile unit.
1955: America’s first “supercarrier,” the USS Forrestal (CVA-59), is commissioned. Forrestal, with its angled flight deck and steam catapults, is the first flattop designed to operate jet aircraft.
Image of the Day:
