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The SAC Crow |
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What's the symbolism of the SAC crow? Some information
provided by visitors appears below. |
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| ECM Patch |
SAC "C'est La
Vie" |
380th Aerial
Refueling Squadron |
92nd Bomb Wing |
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These two patches were
represented as being from U-2 operations |
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Have received some interesting emails:
Larry Arvidson libinia@msn.com
wrote, "I was in the 4239th/449th AEMS, ECM section at Kincheloe AFB
from 1960 to 1964. The crow on your patch looks suspiciously
like the crow on our Electronic Countermeasures patch."
ECM / Reconnaissance sounds like logical activities for
the crow to represents. The "C'est La Vie" patch shown below (no idea
as to its orgin) shows a machine-gun wheeling bulldog accompanied by a crow.
Fido almost certainly represents the fighting forces - the bomber and his
feathered friend could be providing support. But the crow also appears
on the patch for the 380th Aerial Refueling Squadron and later appeared on
that for the 380th Aerial Refueling Wing. The shield on the Old Crows
patch states it from the 92nd Bomb Wing Medium. Thus the bird is used
in different context. Any ideas, experiences, opinions would be
appreciated.
Fred Wagner, Capt. USAF, retired. fredhwagner@attbi.com
...to answer one question - the Bulldog patches - the Bulldog was
the trademark of the B-52 Gunners, just as the Raven was the mark of
the EW, although the EW's also flew on RC's and RB's of various
flavors.
Dean C. Spraggins, USAF (ret)
jspragg@iw.net
... The cigar-smoking SAC crow (first patch on this page) was the
province of the electronic combat community, and was often worn by
B-52 EW officers. The underwing bundle of lightning bolts
represented ECM ("jamming" to the uninitiated). The crow had for
some years been a critter associated with electronic warfare (cf.
the international Association of Old Crows). "Every Crow a Tiger"
was a long-standing motto of bomber EW officers, sometimes printed
with this emblem when it was used on walls or podiums -- hence the
tiger tail.
The Strategic Reconnaisance Center was a HQ agency
(SAC/DOR). Tasked with command and control of recce assets, it had
it very own specialized command post, under H wing of Bldg 500.
I spent my final three-plus years on active duty assigned to
USSTRATCOM,
but never saw the black-armored, gold-riveted fist inside the
pointy-topped shield you have posted on the lower right corner of
your
second page of mystery patches. As you probably know, the STRATCOM
emblem is round, containing the SAC fist (otherwise unaltered)
inside a ring encircled by rope (or twisted/braided
something-or-other). Symbolizing Navy incursion into
SAC, it occasionally became an object of ridicule as the image of
"US Life Saver Command." |
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