Crew Uniforms and Side Arms Questions

[AE]

I have a really neat 100 Alerts under Kansas patch that had only a hundred or so ever made (I bought four of them). It was authorized for wear in the wing. I used it rather than my 8th AF Excellence patch.

Is it illustrated in the AAFM Missile Patches Gallery? If not, would you care to donate one to my collection so that it can be? (I'm also willing to buy, but of course would much prefer a donation rather than spending my kid's inheritance! ) AE

[D Preidis]

Is it illustrated in the AAFM Missile Patches Gallery? If not, would you care to donate one to my collection so that it can be? (I'm also willing to buy, but of course would much prefer a donation rather than spending my kid's inheritance! ) AE

You have it in the gallery with a 200 mission arch.

I wish there was a 300 mission arch as I pulled that many in the system.

[AE]

Yes, I know that, unlike the officers, some of the enlisted crew members spent many, many years on Titan crews. You may have noted in the Gallery there's a "1000 ALERTS" arch for later crews at Little Rock. That's a lot of crew time! I've never seen a patch for 300 from your former base but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist. Thanks for serving our country. AE

[D Preidis]

Yes, I know that, unlike the officers, some of the enlisted crew members spent many, many years on Titan crews. You may have noted in the Gallery there's a "1000 ALERTS" arch for later crews at Little Rock. That's a lot of crew time! I've never seen a patch for 300 from your former base but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist. Thanks for serving our country. AE

I had a total of just over 700 alerts including my Grand Forks time.

I could get the real number if I find a box in my basemant and get my notebook out. I kept a log of every Alert with TCC's initials, the site the Alert was pulled at, and the Alert number.

[AE]

I have a similar log... must be a missileer thing (or a SAC-induced paranoia!). You know, if it wasn't documented, it never happened. AE

[notlaw99]

In response to an old post on Page Two about what Crew Blues were called. There was a White tag on the inside of the shirt near the bottom of the shirt tail right side as I remember it Said "Missile Combat Crew Alert" With the shade number Mine was 1084 but they were alter issues in 1549 shade. If that helps any body in doing a search. I can't remember if there was a stock number on the tag or not.

Notlaw99

[LA CrewDawg]

I heard rumors that a MCCM accidently fired a round in an LCC at F.E. Warren (sometime in the 80s I believe). Thankfully, no one was hurt...and after what I heard was a failed attempt to cover it up, it was discovered and the MCCM was appropriately hammered.

On the subject of the MCCM who discharged his weapon in the LCC:
Does anyone recall his name, specifically did it start with "Pav" and rhyme with "lovitch"? That was the rumor when a certain person became Wg/CC at Malm while I was there. I am certain that this is a common myth but just curious if it could be confimed. Should I call "Mythbusters"?

Greg Pavlovitch was in the 490th when I arrived at Malmstrom in 1981. If I recall correctly, he was about halfway through his tour at that time. I believe he did leave crew duty prematurely but I don't remember it being related to anything about firearms. If it was, it was a well-kept secret because I was in the 490th!

I once heard a long and winding story when I was at FEW about a .38, a missing bullet, and a replacement that hitched a ride with a relief crew. It might have been mentioned that the replacement wasn't the standard ball ammo issued to the crews. As for the outcome of the incident, I would have to check with my source to confirm or deny any career ending aspects.

[hockey85]

does anybody know when the missile badge for missileers changed from the "plain" missile badge to the one with the ops wreath around it?

Cory

[ICBMGuy]

Cory,

If AE can't answer your question, no one can. He is the "master" when it comes to the History of the Missile Badge.

ICBMGuy

[Crewdog]

does anybody know when the missile badge for missileers changed from the "plain" missile badge to the one with the ops wreath around it?

Cory

As my feeble memory serves, they started pushing for that around 1985 or 86. I remember that because it was right before I got out and there was a big controversy, because those of us who had earned the badge for crew duty were inelligible to switch the new badge; the old badge was supposed to denote those who worked in MNX when the new ops badge came out. Don't know if they ever got that sorted out or not....

[AE]

Cory,

If AE can't answer your question, no one can. He is the "master" when it comes to the History of the Missile Badge.

ICBMGuy

Not sure how true THAT is, but here's some relevant info on the topic:

General Chain approved the staff package in April 1986 and forwarded it to HQ USAF/DP for action. The proposal was recommended for approval by the September 1986 Air Force Uniform Board and approved by the CSAF/CV on 28 November 1986. Nevertheless, it languished at The Institute of Heraldry--an Army organization--for more than 2 years before the design was finalized, specifications established, contracts let, etc. etc. Officially, AFR 35-42, dated 30 November 1988, illustrated the new badge and described the criteria for its award.

As I recall, the actual badges (metal and embroidered) were not available for issue or purchase until 1989. AE

[Master Technician]

Still coming up empty on the search on eBay, and I'm about 2000 miles away from the "missile belt", if you will. As far as the pocket rocket badge was concerned, was it the actual metal badge, or was it embroidered on AF blue material? I've seen both, and almost ended up with the embroidered badge, but decided to skip the eBay auction (guy didn't take paypal ). Just chalk that up to the list, along with a 390th SMW patch, and the uniform itself...lol. I assume for Titan II crews it was just about the same thing as AE mentioned, with a squadron and a wing patch on the shoulders.


Also, anyone wanna explain the pencil tab patches to me? I was under the impression that the combat crew patch was one of them.

When I was an MCCM in the 70s, and maintenance in the 80s, we had both the embroidered and the metal missile badge. The miniaturized metal one went on the light blue shirt (or the dark blue wool shirt, for those who remember that one, it was cool…and warm! ), and the mess dress jacket. The large metal one went on the Class A (aka Combination One, who knows what they call it now) blouse. The embroidered one went on the crew blues, greens (aka fatigues, for maintenance), and field jacket. You could also get a fancy silvery embroidered one for the mess dress but hardly anyone wore it. When I was on crew, the regular embroidered one was silver but by the time I made it to maintenance there was a subdued version in black.

I got in right at the end of the dark blue wool shirt. Man that was sharp with the military creases, and the more ribbons you had, the better it looked. I think I was the only one on Whiteman at the time who wore one. I never saw anyone else wearing one. You could wear the large metal pocket rocket on that shirt. Wasn't that called the Combo 3? Wish they hadn't phased that out.

[SAC Killer]

Might have been called the combo 3, don't remember. I do remember that I really liked mine. When the Carter administration issued edicts about maximum temps in buildings to save energy, that wool shirt was a lifesaver. It was the only shirt warm enough to wear without a jacket, and in those days there were no blue sweaters. And for a while, no lightweight blue jackets.

[Dog O'Crewdom]

No. It was amazing that the codes that we couriered out were suddenly safer, once it cost the wing money to buy the 9mm. The Air Force totally phased out the .38, so keeping them around wasn't an option. You choice in pistols was Beretta or nothing. Missiles chose nothing.

[banjodog]

No. It was amazing that the codes that we couriered out were suddenly safer, once it cost the wing money to buy the 9mm. The Air Force totally phased out the .38, so keeping them around wasn't an option. You choice in pistols was Beretta or nothing. Missiles chose nothing.

When I first arrived at Malmstrom in '87, I had to qualify on the .38, and a few months after that the sidearm requirement for code-carrying MNX teams disappeared. I don't know about ops, but for MNX, deleting the requirement was smart. Who was in the back seat of our truck on every dispatch? Cops. Two of them, each with an M-16 and however many clips they carried. Dispensing with the sidearm requirement also made MNX dispatching a bit easier.