Archive for the ‘Air Force’ Category
The USAF Parachutist Insignia 1956-63
Sunday, February 8th, 2015John Wayne Visits Hurlburt Field
Saturday, January 17th, 2015Here’s one from the AFSOC archives.
AN/MSR-1 Intercept Van
Sunday, January 4th, 2015The AN/MSR-1 was used by USAF Security Agency personnel during the Viet Nam war to monitor friendly communications in SIGSEC missions. Capable of monitoring HF, VHF and UHF radio transmissions, the AN/MSR-1 could also monitor microwave communications. In addition to three receivers, the system was originally equipped with 12 tape recorders.
This ‘Misery’ is on display at the USAF Museum’s South East Asia War gallery at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH.
CCT HALO Jump
Sunday, January 4th, 2015
Forces Focus – US Air Force Rescue in Djibouti
Monday, December 22nd, 2014This video, “A Day’s Work” was shot on location in Djibouti and depicts the 81st, 82nd and 303rd Rescue Squadrons in action.
Meet One of USAF’s Female SERE Specialists
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014
‘Grunts of the Air’ The A-10 Video The Air Force Doesn’t Want You To See
Sunday, December 7th, 2014
The Air Force is trying desperately to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II, arguably the best Close Air Support platform ever fielded, so that it can spend more money on the F-35. They have attempted to suppress this service produced video on the capabilities of the A-10. They are also claiming that the A-10 is only pulling Sandy duty in support of Combat Search And Rescue in current operations in Iraq even though the Warthog, as it is affectionately known to ground troops, is regularly raining death and destruction on our enemies.
Decoding Those Air Force Berets
Monday, December 1st, 2014Recently, an SSD reader commented that they didn’t understand why Security Forces and TACPs wear the same color beret. They don’t. Cops wear Dark Blue (which they appropriated from CCT) and TACP wear Black but the colors are close and based on fading, you could definitely confuse the two. One of the funniest stories I heard was from a TACCS who told me that a Soldier in the Army commented about how nice it was that the Army was letting them wear their headgear. TACPS wore Black berets long before the Army handed them out to everyone.
Currently, several careerfields wear berets. It’s really been a helter skelter smattering of who has a beret and who doesn’t with more and more added over the years. In some cases the beret is worn by actual combat oriented AFSCs and in others only by certain members of careerfields. Take for example, Combat Weather where only Weather Parachutists sport berets. On the other hand, you’ve got the entire AF Security Forces careerfield which wears a beret. Being in a Special Tactics Squadron you can find every one of these colors in a formation along with Airmen wearing ball caps or flight caps.
Berets have often been considered a mark of the elite (despite the US Army’s decision to institutionalize the Black beret for all Soldiers) and by extension parachutists. When you look at the list, the Air Force’s beret policy really doesn’t make much sense. For instance Air Force parachutists in careerfields other than those below do not wear a beret (although in many joint billets they do in spite of AF uniform regs) while non-parachutists in some AFSCs do wear them.
CCT/STO – Scarlet
PJ/CRO – Maroon
TACP/ALO – Black
Weather Parachutists – Grey
Security Force – Blue
SERE Specialists – Sage Green
Not shown is a Sky Blue beret worn by cadets at the US Air Force Academy while BCT introduction to first year cadets.
This image came from the Air Force and still isn’t quite right. For instance, Special Operations Weather Technicians have a metal beret device and no longer wear the DUI of the ARSOF units they support. At least the colors are all correct.
