A Cold War USAF 421st ARS Lighter

[Charlie Flick]

Gentlemen:

 

I don’t smoke, never have, and yet I seem to be drawn to the occasional military lighter and ashtray. For undecipherable reasons I find them irresistible.

 

Which explains why I had to buy this Penguin lighter not long ago. It bears the enameled emblem of the 421^st Air Refueling Squadron. This outfit was activated in 1953 and operated out of Yokota Air Base, Japan until deactivation in 1965. Its mission was to provide aerial refueling services to Far East Air Force aircraft. To accomplish this it used KB-29 and KB-50 aircraft.

 

The Squadron emblem is sorta neat. According to the Air Force the emblem depicts “a hummingbird attached to a hose and winged valve.”

 

 

The back side.

 

 

The bottom which tells us that it is a "High Quality Lighter".

 

 

Makes me wonder how many long flights over the cold Pacific this lighter made in some airman's pocket.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

 

 

 

[phantomfixer]

That is way cool...and from a great period in USAF history...imagine lighting up in a flying gas station....