Can you give me some background on this patch and photo?

[kfields]

I also bought this colorized photo of an officer along with the patch. Inked on the back is his name: Lt K.S. Collart. A closeup inspection shows that he is wearing this type patch on his left sleeve.

I guess my questions are: what significance is the patch; what period; what location were people assigned too that wore this patch ? Thanks! Kim

[Jeeper704]

Defense Atomic Support Agency Patch (1959-71)

AFSWP (= Armed Forces Special Weapons Project) successor at Los Alamos - post Manhattan Project.

Nuclear research and development.

One location I found is (or was) Sandia Base, New Mexico.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

Erwin

[bobgee]

Defense Atomic Support Agency Patch (1959-71)

AFSWP (= Armed Forces Special Weapons Project) successor at Los Alamos - post Manhattan Project.

Nuclear research and development.

One location I found is (or was) Sandia Base, New Mexico.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

Erwin

 

 

Hmmmmmm..........Can't disagree with the I.d. of the patch but I wonder about the dates quoted. He's wearing USAC officer collar brass on his green uniform and this ended in 1947 when the USAF was instituted. The "brown shoe AF" continued into the early 1950s when the blue uniform replaced it. There's more to the story about the patch

Bob.

[Jeeper704]

Maybe this was not the case with those transferred from the Air Force to this Agency?

 

This is an overview I found:

 

- Manhattan Engineer District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1942-47)

- Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP, interservice agency, January-July 1947)

- AFSWP, National Military Establishment (July 1947-August 1949)

- AFSWP, Department of Defense (DOD, 1949-59)

- Defense Atomic Support Agency, DOD (1959-71)

- Defense Nuclear Agency, DOD (1971-96)

- Defense Special Weapons Agency, DOD (1996-98)

- On-Site Inspection Agency, DOD (1988-98)

- Defense Technology Security Administration, DOD (1985-98)

 

Other nuclear-related units were formed at Sandia Base and Kirtland AFB, as the west side was redesignated in 1947. The Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (later the Defense Atomic Support Agency, then the Defense Nuclear Agency) operated Sandia Base and provided support to the secretary of defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and military departments in matters concerning nuclear weapons, nuclear effects, and testing. In addition, the Air Force Special Weapons Command was established at Kirtland in 1949 and was redesignated the Air Force Special Weapons Center in 1952 to help develop the nuclear deterrence to all-out war.

 

AFSWP - DASA

 

Erwin

[Jeeper704]

Btw, be careful with colorized pictures as often the colors are not correct.

Maybe he has the blue uniform with silver insignia, but the studio colored the picture as if he would be Army.

It's just a thought.

 

Erwin

[Rattle]

That's correct, but he would not wear a shoulder patch with the blue uniform.

 

 

Stephan

[Jeeper704]

That's correct, but he would not wear a shoulder patch with the blue uniform.

Stephan

 

Not even when assigned to this agency?

I'm not into USAF regulations, but it doesn't mean I'm not interested in this stuff.

 

Erwin

[kfields]

In the photo, the uniform appears brown, tan shirt, dark brown tie and all of his brass is gold colored. I don't know my army air corps insignia or air force insignia very well but when did the prop-wing design go out of vogue? Wasn't it only a short time that the brown tie was used postwar?

Of course all is circumstantial (except for the prop-wing design) and up for grabs if one assumes the photographer took liberties with the color! Kim

[siege1863]

Are you sure the patch is the same one seen in the photo? The one on the uniform is not the same shape. In the upper left corner (only part visible) the top and side meet at what appears to be a perfect 90 degrees/right angle. The patch posted has sides that curve to meet the curved top edge.

[kfields]

Good eyes! You are correct in that the patch on his jacket appears to be more squared-off in the corner. The patch shown is not THE patch in the picture. It is the patch the fellow sold with the picture. But the patch on the fellows jacket appears to be the same type design in that I can make out a portion of a mushroom cloud, blue sky and greenish bottom portion. Plus it is also bordered in white.

[siege1863]

The only other thing I can add is the identity of the man...

 

Kirk S. Collart

b. 20 Sept 1919

d. 14 Jan 1988 Columbus OH

[JACKASSJOE45]

I also bought this colorized photo of an officer along with the patch. Inked on the back is his name: Lt K.S. Collart. A closeup inspection shows that he is wearing this type patch on his left sleeve.

I guess my questions are: what significance is the patch; what period; what location were people assigned too that wore this patch ? Thanks! Kim

[JACKASSJOE45]

I was stationed at Sandia Base from May 65 to Dec 66. Sandia Base was a tri service base and dealt with atomic energy and weapons. It was a high security base. It was also a school for military personel who were going into or already in nuclear weapons MOS's. I don't remember what unit I was with but I worked in a vault that contained a library of top secret documents pertaining to nuclear weapons. My unit was permanent party. I wore the blue and green patch mentioned here. Sandia base was taken over by Kirtland AFB years ago and I don't know if DASA still exists. Sandia Base was very relaxed and was "dream" duty for army personel.

[jwinterstein]

I too was stationed at Sandia from 1962 through June of 1964 and was a rad tech at the Sandia Hospital. That patch was the one I wore. As mentioned, this was a "tri-service" base - Army Navy and Air Force. At that time the Air Force base was Kirtland and it was down the road from Sandia. In 1962 President Kennedy visited Sandia and we all lined up along the route and saluted our Comander-in-Chief as he went past. It was a good base and good duty. I would enjoy reading more about it.

 

I think the second lieutenant in the first picture was wearing Class A Army Greens rather than any Air Force uniform, but that is just a guess. The shirts were tan poplin and the tie was black wool.

[lkgmadmax]

Wow this is a very old thread but an interesting one! I have a Colt General Officer pistol that belonged to Brigadier General Hughes L. Ash who had the title of Deputy Commander, Field Command, DASA there on the Sandia Base July 1960 - Jan 1964.

 

Here are a couple of pictures.

[Sarge8]

Collart's obituary just says that he was in the Army Air Corps during WW2 and then worked for Union Carbide as a mechanical engineer till retired. His wedding announcement in Apr 1947 refers to him as MR. Collart, not LT, and he was already living in Ohio

[wamo]

I was stationed at Sandia Base 1968 to 1970 as Military Policeman this was our parch

[patches]

Maybe that patch is the 4th Air Force, that's the best match up I can see, remembering it's colorized, and these were notorious for getting hues and colors wrong.

 

 

 

 

[RA 65-68]

I also bought this colorized photo of an officer along with the patch. Inked on the back is his name: Lt K.S. Collart. A closeup inspection shows that he is wearing this type patch on his left sleeve.

I guess my questions are: what significance is the patch; what period; what location were people assigned too that wore this patch ? Thanks! Kim

attachment

I wore this patch 1967 - 1968 at Sandia Base, New Mexico (Albuquerque). It is the Atomic Energy Commissions patch worn strictly by Army personnel although Sandia Base was a Consolidated facility including Air Force, Navy (2 individuals only) and a number of Marines. Sandia Base was (at that time) a Siamese twin with Kirkland Air Force Base and had no "entry-exit" between them (as I recall?) so that if you entered one you had access to the other. Within the Sandia Base section, there was one other base (inside the mountain) called Monzano Base which was (more or less Ari Force) and only special clearance would allow you inside.

 

Sometime after 1969 ... the Consolidated aspect of the base was eliminated and the two bases became Kirtland East and Kirtland West. Eventually, it all became simply Kirtland Air Force Base.

 

Note: The patch was (as always) only for Army personnel while the Air Force, Navy, and Marines had none at all.

[Kris]

My dad was in the army assigned to the Sandia Base. He was Military Police. I believe he was there until April 72. I have one of his patches from his original uniform it looks just like this.    I have not had much luck finding info on this until now. THANK YOU  all for sharing. I am going to share with my dad. 

[kfields]

I'm glad Kris was able to connect with this old post!

This is my oldest post (14 years) that continues to have some hits on it over the years 

I still have the photograph so I've included some new images with a better camera. 

Kim

 

[MP25]

The patch is the first style (pre 1970) Defense Nuclear Agency 

[KyPatriot]

My Dad wore this Unit patch while he was stationed at Killeen Base, Texas, later to be called West Ft Hood. He was there around the 67 / 68 period, before getting orders to Vietnam. I remember the night he got home and told my Mom that the unit was being deactivated and all the patches had to come off his uniforms and he saved a couple of them. I even found an extra window decal that he had on his 52 Willys Jeep that had to be displayed while driving on base. He passed away in April 2016 and my Mom told us how she even had to have top-secret clearance to take us to the swimming pool on base. We lived in a duplex on Austin Ave and had a large field across the street from us. He bought this 28 Model A while down there and they are both in the garage today. The Model A is still titled in Texas from 1967. 

[kfields]

50 minutes ago, KyPatriot said:

My Dad wore this Unit patch while he was stationed at Killeen Base, Texas, later to be called West Ft Hood. He was there around the 67 / 68 period, before getting orders to Vietnam. I remember the night he got home and told my Mom that the unit was being deactivated and all the patches had to come off his uniforms and he saved a couple of them. I even found an extra window decal that he had on his 52 Willys Jeep that had to be displayed while driving on base. He passed away in April 2016 and my Mom told us how she even had to have top-secret clearance to take us to the swimming pool on base. We lived in a duplex on Austin Ave and had a large field across the street from us. He bought this 28 Model A while down there and they are both in the garage today. The Model A is still titled in Texas from 1967. 

Great story and wonderful pictures!

[KyPatriot]

Here’s a interesting article about Killeen Base, Texas; https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/killeen.htm