1968

JANUARY 1 The Aerospace Defense Command is the new name for the Air Defense Command.

JANUARY 21 At Khe Sanh, South Viet­nam, a Marine Corps garrison is sur­rounded by Communist forces for the next 77 days. The Air Force participates by flying in an average of 165 tons of equipment, weapons, and supplies every day while waves of B-52 bombers carpet bomb suspect enemy positions in the nearby hillside.

JANUARY 22 Over Greenland, a B-52 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Thule Air Base. Radioactive debris from the four nuclear weapons it is carrying is spread across the sea ice at North Star Bay. Months of specialized cleaning are required before readings return to normal.

JANUARY 26 Over North Korea, an A – 12 top secret reconnaissance flight unfolds in response to the seizure of the USS Pueblo three days earlier.

JANUARY 30—31 Communist forces launch their surprise Tet Offensive across South Vietnam which, while a military defeat, is a turning point in American opinion against the war.

FEBRUARY 27 In Southeast Asia, AC – 130 Hercules gunships make their debut while attacking along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

FEBRUARY 29 In Washington, D. C., a law is enacted which eliminates all obstacles against promoting women higher than the rank of full colonel. Conse­quently, Colonels Jeanne Holm, director of

Women in the Air Force, and Helen O’Day, assigned to the Air Force chief of staff’s office, both become permanent colonels.

MARCH 25 Over North Vietnam, the General Dynamics F-111 performs its first combat missions as part of Operation combat lancer. This particular deploy­ment is part of an operational testing scheme, and the jets are returned to the United States soon after.

MARCH 31 Once again, President Lyndon B. Johnson orders a partial bombing halt over North Vietnam in the hopes ofstimu – lating peace talks. He also declares that he will not be seeking reelection in the fall.

April 10 At Kadena Air Base, Japan, the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing begins the first SR-71A missions over North Vietnam.

MAY 3 In South Vietnam, the 120th Tac­tical Fighter Squadron arrives from Buck­ley Air National Guard Base, Colorado, becoming the first ANG unit committed to combat operations.

MAY 12 At Kham Duc, South Vietnam, Air Force C-130s assist Army and Marine Corps helicopters to evacuate the out­numbered garrison while under enemy fire. Mortar fire strikes a C-130, killing all 150 people on board, and a total of eight aircraft are lost. Lieutenant Colonel Daryl D. Cole is awarded a Mackay Tro­phy, while four airmen receive the Air Force Cross. A C-123 under Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson also lands under intense fire to bring off a three-man com­bat control team; he is awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor.

June 13 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, a Titan IIIC launch vehicle hoists eight communications satellites into orbit to augment the existing Defense Satellite Communications System.

June 17 At Long Beach, California, the first McDonnell Douglas C-9 Nightin­gale is completed; this is intended as an aeromedical aircraft with United States boundaries.

June 30 The Lockheed C-51 Galaxy, then the world’s largest aircraft, performs its maiden flight. The Military Air Com­mand (MAC) is slated to receive 81 of them.

AUGUST 1 In South Vietnam, General George S. Brown gains appointment as commander of the Seventh Air Force.

AUGUST 25 In South Vietnam, the North American OV-10 Bronco commences a 90-day combat evaluation period.

SEPTEMBER 1 Over Quang Binh Prov­ince, South Vietnam, an A-1H Skyraider piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III withstands a storm of enemy ground fire to land and rescue a downed pilot. Jones is badly injured in the action and his aircraft is shot up, so he receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

September 26 The Air Force LTD A – 7D Corsair II light attack bomber flies for the first time.

OCTOBER 11 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, Air Force major Donn F. Eisele is one of three astronauts on the Apollo 7 mission, launched today on board a Saturn IB rocket.

OCTOBER 31 Over North Vietnam, the United States concludes Operation roll­ing thunder, its first sustained aerial offensive of the war.

NOVEMBER 1 Over Laos, Operation commando hunt commences as all other aerial attacks on North Vietnam are sus­pended. However, reconnaissance mis­sions are flown throughout the region.

November 26 Over Duc Co, South Vietnam, a UH-1F Huey helicopter piloted by Lieutenant James P. Fleming,
20th Special Operations Squadron, retrieves a six-man reconnaissance team under heavy enemy fire while being extremely low on fuel. Fleming receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

December 21-28 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, Apollo 8 is launched into space on a mission to orbit the moon. The three-man crew consists ofAir Force col­onels Frank Borman and William Anders, and Navy captain James Lovell. This is also the first space flight to actually leave Earth orbit.