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"Major" Rank pin/patch Options


stratasfan
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Hi! The members on here have been so grand at helping me with this display that I want to make for my Uncle, that I hardly have anything left to ask about. This, I think, is the last thing I need to ask about (for now, anyway! ;) ).

 

My Uncle's Brother was a Major in the Air Force at the time he died. I would like to include a rank something in the display. Are there Major rank patches? If so, would they have had them in the Vietnam era?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

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Hi Elizabeth. Yes. embroidered rank patches exist in the Vietnam period. You will sometimes find them embroidered on sage green, but the USAF also wore the insignia that was embroidered on OG 107 material.

 

Allan

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To add to Allan on the cloth versions, here's one of them on Blue I found, which were typical of the period.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-ARMY-NAVY-USMC-USAF-Color-Collar-Rank-Insignia-patch-MAJOR-ONE-/152667262106?hash=item238bad8c9a:g:VaQAAOSwhcJWPHiR

 

 

If you want to go with this if you like, it would be just what you need, as it's folded and sewn already and will be ready for display.

 

I would jump on them before they're sold :D

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Oh, thanks so much! I really appreciate the help! I'll take a look at eBay and put a post in the Wanted forum. I really appreciate the help! As always, this forum is a wealth of information! :)

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I'm guessing this is the officer who started as a KC-135 pilot and volunteered for F-4s.

 

Therefore, it depends when your uncle was on active duty and the command he was assigned.

 

Flight suit rank insignia could be on black leather, full color on sage green or blue, or sealed in plastic.

 

So, KC-135 crews were assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and more than likely wore leather rank insignia or full-color embroidered on sage green.

 

F-4 crews were Tactical Air Command (TAC) and those crews might wear the same insignia unless in Vietnam. Those crews sometimes wore subdued insignia

on OD green.

 

Pilot trainees were assigned to the Air Training Command. That command often wore full color insignia embroidered on blue.

 

He would have worn a leather name tag or sometimes a white embroidered name tape with wings embroidered on sage green.

 

However, for your display, I'd suggest just getting a metal set of major's leaves.

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Does this help . . . Found out that he was a pilot with the 28 Air Refueling Squadron prior to volunteering to fly F-4s. Thanks for all the info!

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You are correct to think about the unit because some units had approval for specific insignia. However, I suspect he would have worn the black leather rank insignia and leather name/flight suit badge.

 

Crews from the late 60s and early 70s returned from overseas with rank insignia from Vietnam, Thailand and Guam with flight suit rank and name patches that were embroidered white on black. They continued to wear it upon return form overseas.

 

F-4 Tactical Air Command aircrews, however, would have worn subdued insignia on OD green -- especially if they had been "going downtown," doing combat sorties.

 

The alternative would be full-color rank insignia on blue. I had been stationed at a former SAC base through Desert Storm. The uniform shop outside the base had lots of this type of rank insignia due to the previous SAC crews.

 

You can google K2B sage green flight suits on line and see some of these variations.

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