USAF Patches - Strategic Air Command, bombers, fighters, air divisions and more

 Mystery Patches
    Mysteries 1
    Solved 1
    Solved 2

 

No longer Mystery Patches, page 2

2nd Air Expeditionary Group - HAVE
    Shows a B-52 being aerial refueled over what could be a map.
Capt Patrick Spaulding wrote:
    "This is a patch designed for the 2nd as in 2nd Air Expeditionary Group, which was composed of B-52Hs and KC-10s.  This was designed as the group/wing
patch for the deployment of B-52H bombers from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB and KC-10s from McGuire AFB to the atoll island of Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories (B.I.O.T.).  This deployment was in 1998 and lasted for over six months.  The bombers sat CALCM alert until they were executed and struck targets in Iraq in Dec 1998.  The patch depicts a B-52 being refueled by a KC-10 as it flies over the outline of the atoll island of Diego Garcia.  Needless to say, it is not SAC related as SAC was sadly no more by then.  I know this because I was part of the deployment for 78 days, and have that patch as a memento"
Jordan Murphy wrote
   "The 2d AEG was stood up @ Diego Garcia from late 1998 to mid 1999. It was a consolidated unit with BUFFs from Minot & Barksdale and (I think) some tankers. I puchased a bunch of these from someone who was there for Operation DESERT FOX. Several personnel and aircraft went directly forward to RAF Fairford, UK, for Operation ALLIED FORCE/NOBLE ANVIL around 1 Mar 99. Col Floyd Carpenter (our OG in the 5 BW @ the time) went forward from DG to Fairford. He is now a BG select and 2 BW/CC @ Barksdale
Communications?  - HAVE
Lee Regan wrote
      "That unidentified communications patch is the old Army Air Force Airways Communications  Service patch. I believe it's either late WWII vintage or maybe from the early post war years. Jerry Polder might have a bit more info on it, but the best I can remember is that this eventually became Air Force Communications Service (& later Command)."
Busy Island Task Force
Jerry Ponder's book on Air Force patch mottos states that it was worn by the Diego Garcia B-52 Ocean Surveillance Crews.  Who were they?   What wing?
John W. Cook, SMSgt, Retired CCC@cookieman.org wrote:  "Busy Island Task Force was an operation / training mission that operated out of Andersen AFB, Guam, in the lates 1970's.  Conventional capable B-52's were deployed to Guam on a rotational basis.  While at Andersen, they did some conventional bombing, sea lane surveillance and long distance training sorties.  They did venture into the Indian Ocean on some of their flights."
(John is a military insignia specializing in SAC patches)
Strategic Reconnaissance Center
Dean C. Spraggins, USAF (ret)  jspragg@iw.net  
wrote, 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."
SAC Crow
Dean C. Spraggins, USAF (ret)  jspragg@iw.net  
wrote, "The cigar-smoking SAC crow 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.
Les Robbins wrote, "The SAC Crow patches most likely represent the mission of the Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) on the crew. He operated radar jamming as well as radar homing and warning equipment on the aircraft. A nickname for the EWO is "Raven". Most all EWOs belong to the Association of "Old Crows". The crow on the patch signifies the work that the EWOs do on the many varied missions of SAC and other commands (ACC including several special ops missions now).
Armament Development Test Center
Jordan Murphy wrote
The Armament Development Test Center was @ Eglin AFB from 1 Aug 68 to 1 Oct 79. The history of the unit is contained in:
http://www.apg.eglin.af.mil/history.htm
Stratcon - U.S. Army Element
John W Cook, SMSgt (ret)  CCC@cookieman.org  wrote:  This is the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by U.S. Army personnel assigned to STRATCOM.  The official names is:  U.S. ARMY ELEMENT, STRATCOM. (John is a military insignia specializing in SAC patches)
Combat Evaluation
I asked, "Was this a SAC unit?"
Hank Mollenaeur provided the answer::
The 1ST Combat Evaluation Group (1CEVG) was a SAC unit with HQ at Barksdale AFB - and detachments located around the US - and a few overseas. They conducted ground directed bombing and radar bomb scoring (RBS) of simulated and real bomb drops at USAF ranges. I was personally stationed at 2
detachments - Matagorda Island, Tx and Richmond, Ky.  1CEVG apparently became known as the 99 Electronic Combat Range Group (99ECRG) around 1990 - which was subsequently disbanded in 1995
Related web sites with the same patch
http://www.usafpatches.com/gallery/wgs0001.shtml - ID of your patch from
USAF Patches.com (go there and search for your other patches)
http://www.usafpatches.com/articles/sac/0001cevg.shtml - Brief history of
CEVG
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/3996/ - Unofficial home page
http://www.det6.com - Det 6 - Bayshore, Michigan
http://limasite85.us/memorials1.htm - Lima Site in Laos
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/combatevaluationgroup/messages/1?viscount=100
- maillist site for former members of 1CEVG
http://www.dod.mil/news/Jun1995/b063095_bt365-95.html - AF announcment of
the demise of 99 ECRG
  Air Force Missile Development Center
Ran across the patch, but lost the image. 
some information from John W Cook, SMSgt (ret)  CCC@cookieman.org 
It was not a SAC Unit.  After World War II, the future of the Alamogordo installation was uncertain. In fact, rumors spread concerning the closure of the site, fueled by the fact that most operations had ceased. However, in 1947, a new era began when Air Materiel Command announced the air field would be its primary site for the testing and development of pilot less aircraft, guided missiles, and other research programs. For the next 25 years the site, which became known as the Holloman Air Development Center, and later the Air Force Missile Development Center, launched many missiles including Tiny Tim (the first Army rocket), Rascal, V-2, XQ-2 Drone, Falcon, MACE, Matador, and Shrike. On January 13, 1948 the Alamogordo installation was renamed Holloman Air Force Base, in honor of the late Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research.