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Into The Blue, Uniforms of the US Air Force, Volume 2, by Lance Young


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Into The Blue, Uniforms of the United States Air Force, Volume 2, by Lance P. Young

 

Having bought the first volume some time ago, I had to have Volume 2. I was not disappointed. Just like with Vol.1, it has great depth with awesome pictures and descriptions. This volume gets into the more uncommon and unusual uniforms many of us never saw. Also includes sections on Security Police uniforms over the years, and their badges (awesome pictures of lots of badges). Also includes extensive coverage on women's uniforms. And others.

There are also stories tied into the timeline descriptions. Like SrA Polly-Jan Bobseine - a sniper with the USAF Security Forces in Iraq who saved many by killing a Taliban who was setting a bomb. And A1C Elizabeth Jacobson who was killed in Iraq in 2005.

I highly recommend this book as this is a great reference for the uniform collector, or anyone just interested in US Air Force history, such as myself.

I also very much look forward to Vol. 3, hoping it will come out soon.

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Matt, my son's name is Matt. I want to thank you for the very kind remarks you made about volume 2. Volume 3 is in the works but has been slowed due to health problems. I hope to get back to it ASAP. The title will be ITB V 3 From Fatigues to the ABU. You might be interested in the fact that the AF has ordered new lighter ABUs due to complaints from the troops. The Army is changing it's ACU pattern for a close resemblance to the Proper made Multi-cam. It won't be made by Proper as they got into a pissing match over cost. So the new multi-cam will be slightly different pattern to avoid copyrights held by Proper. The Army offered the USAF to go in with them as Airmen are issued multi-cams when in the Afgan AO. The AF said no thanks we're sticking to the ABU. I'm going to post a fatigue shirt OG-107 with interesting name tapes on them. The full story will be in volume 3 in variations. I'll give you the first look.

 

Thanks again

 

Lance

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  • 2 months later...
  • 4 months later...

Just got Vol. 2 in the mail today. Can't wait to dig into it. It looks like an incredible amount of AF Cop history. Started out as LE, and definitely recognized my white ascot and leather aircrew patch from when I came in. I spent a lot of time in the Armory and then at the Range. I didn't see any CATM info. Are you planning any Red Hat stuff in the future? v/r TB

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Another legal uniform item, not often seen, are the Excellence in Competition (EIC) Badges. I see their wear is updated in 36-2903, but it specifies worn on the welt of the left pocket, but it doesn't do a good job of specifying if you've earned both rifle and pistol. I've seen AF personnel wear both similar to the Army, but I've also heard of people getting called out. v/r TB

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I've got to say the guy's uniform in the above picture is a real oddball...he was a prior enlisted Marine, but is wearing Navy expert pistol/rifle ribbons. Maybe he was a Navy officer before going into the Air Force? Regardless, I didn't think that the Navy's marksman ribbons were allowed on Army or Air Force uniforms.

 

If we didn't have a picture of the guy wearing the uniform, I'd be rather suspect of it! :D;)

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Dave,

I agree I had to do several takes on that uniform as well! I did 5 years in the Navy and am now currently in the Kansas Air National Guard and due to an update to the uniform regs as of earlier this year (March I believe to be exact), I am authorized to wear not only my Navy ribbons but also my Air Warfare breast insignia I earned in the navy. As for the pic above, I speculate that he probably did one tour as an enlisted marine while garnering some generic ribbons and then possibly went into the navy as an officer for a term or two, thus earning some more general campaign ribbons that aren't branch specific such as the SE Asia medal, humanitarian medal, etc while only retaining a few branch specific ribbons (marine corps GC, navy expert rifle/pistol ribbons) and then crossed into the blue so to speak to complete his rack. I am curious to know which branch(s) he earned his higher awards at such as the Air Medals and Bronze Star, LOM, etc. Just my thoughts!

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Dave,

I agree I had to do several takes on that uniform as well! I did 5 years in the Navy and am now currently in the Kansas Air National Guard and due to an update to the uniform regs as of earlier this year (March I believe to be exact), I am authorized to wear not only my Navy ribbons but also my Air Warfare breast insignia I earned in the navy. As for the pic above, I speculate that he probably did one tour as an enlisted marine while garnering some generic ribbons and then possibly went into the navy as an officer for a term or two, thus earning some more general campaign ribbons that aren't branch specific such as the SE Asia medal, humanitarian medal, etc while only retaining a few branch specific ribbons (marine corps GC, navy expert rifle/pistol ribbons) and then crossed into the blue so to speak to complete his rack. I am curious to know which branch(s) he earned his higher awards at such as the Air Medals and Bronze Star, LOM, etc. Just my thoughts!

 

 

Definitely an oddball! That's for sure. Just goes to show...there's always a surprise out there!

 

Totally off topic, but were you allowed to wear the service and marksman ribbons in the ANG? I ask as I know that (at least for the Army...when I last read the regs about 15 years back...) allowed for wear of all Navy awards, with the exception of service awards (e.g. Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, etc.) and marksman ones. All of the personal and unit awards were allowed to be worn, of course. It was reciprocal in the Navy at the time...Army and Air Force personal and unit awards could be worn, but the service and marksman awards weren't allowed. (No, I have no idea why I actually looked all that up or even remembered it!) :D

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Definitely an oddball! That's for sure. Just goes to show...there's always a surprise out there!

 

Totally off topic, but were you allowed to wear the service and marksman ribbons in the ANG? I ask as I know that (at least for the Army...when I last read the regs about 15 years back...) allowed for wear of all Navy awards, with the exception of service awards (e.g. Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, etc.) and marksman ones. All of the personal and unit awards were allowed to be worn, of course. It was reciprocal in the Navy at the time...Army and Air Force personal and unit awards could be worn, but the service and marksman awards weren't allowed. (No, I have no idea why I actually looked all that up or even remembered it!) :D

 

According to the AFI 36-2903, I can't see anything specifically about the service or marksman ribbons. It's not loading right on my computer right now, as I first read it on the computers on base so I could be wrong. On my blues right now the only air force ribbon I have is the longevity ribbon for my navy service ironically! I have on my blues right now my navy sea service, overseas service, pistol marksman, humanitarian and GC among a few others. Now considering that being Guard we only wear our blues maybe twice a year give or take and being at a relatively small base in the Midwest, no one really pays to close attention anyway!

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During my era of the Air Force (I retired in 1994), I saw several guys wearing the Navy and Coast Guard Marksmanship Ribbons. Once I was told that it was because those individuals had earned the related medals. I never saw marksmanship badges and in one instance, I knew of an individual (prior service USMC) who had the badges converted to the Air Force Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon -- of course he also earned it for real.

 

As I also remember, the Navy and Coast Guard marksmanship ribbons come in two classes depending on their qualification scores: some can only wear a ribbon. Others earn the medal.

 

The key here is that the good colonel in the photo is a flight surgeon, probably a hospital or medical unit commander, and I would bet that he has (had) permission to wear the Navy ribbons given the other marksmanship badges. Otherwise, he would have been "gigged," effecting his OER and further promotions.

 

As far as the book, I can't wait for Volume 3. I've poured over both current volumes and I can't believe how they just "take you back." What's the chance that the photo showing an airman in a flight suit, wearing a beret being a SP assigned to a SAC Combat Defense Squadron?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've got to say the guy's uniform in the above picture is a real oddball...he was a prior enlisted Marine, but is wearing Navy expert pistol/rifle ribbons. Maybe he was a Navy officer before going into the Air Force? Regardless, I didn't think that the Navy's marksman ribbons were allowed on Army or Air Force uniforms.

 

If we didn't have a picture of the guy wearing the uniform, I'd be rather suspect of it! :D;)

 

Sorry for just getting back...and btw, I just got the First Volume of "Into the Blue". Great Book! Hopefully there is some CATM uniform history in Volume III.

 

The "story" on the wearing of USN and USCG marksman ribbons reached a head around 2002. Prior to o/a 2002, it was legal to wear USN and USCG ribbons. You just had to qualify "E" on the courses of fire, and you were good. Predominately, only CATM guys had the ribbons, because the CATM instructors would offer the use of the range to train personnel for other services, in exchange for getting to shoot the other courses, and ultimately get some easy ribbons. (I'm guessing the Colonel in the pic had a CATM connection, because he's got the Navy ribbons, and also both EIC badges; maybe shot after hours at the range with his POW's, etc., pure speculation).

 

There's always been some pissing contests between different sections in the Security Police, (SFS), and it seemed to come to a head when the LE, Security, K9, and Combat Arms all merged. Combat Arms suddenly fell under the whims of the Ops Supt and took a back seat to flight duty. In about 2002, a new rewrite of 36-2903 came out, and no longer could you wear the USN/USCG medals, probably at the behest of a senior ranking cop on the uniform board (Other cops always voiced their jealousy if they saw CATM guys wearing them). The only way you could wear them was if you were forced to fire the course because you were stationed with the Navy/CG somewhere, and there was no USAF Combat Arms training available. You had to produce orders being stationed at a Navy yard to prove it, or you were supposed to take them off. Iceland was probably the only USN ran range firing USAF.

 

That didn't sit well with guys who had them, and a lot of people wouldn't take them off. I think the AFI still reads the same way.

 

There was also some issues with wearing the EIC badges, because the AFI didn't cover it, and no one knew how to wear them. The standard wear had been two, side by side, or one centered. They have recently been added to the AFI, but before that, I heard of fights with NCOA instructors, on how to wear them. The current AFI covers one (on the welt of the left pocket), but doesn't do a good job of covering two....and I've seen some services wearing three EIC badges. AFI states no more than 4 badges total. The obscure stuff is always confusing. I recently got rifle and pistol EIC badges, so I'll just follow the pics on the web and see if I get "briefed". Anyways, great book, great Cop history!, hopefully there will be some CATM, Marksmanship, EIC badges and the AF Shooting Teams in the next one!

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  • 1 year later...

Was hoping for an update on the expected release of Volume III. Have enjoyed the first two volumes, but looking forward most to the next volume on the work uniforms (fatigues). Anyone know?

Is Mr. Young still active here on the forum?

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