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SOWT grouping question


Tonomachi
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I picked up the below grouping of USAF Special Operations Weather Team insignia which is now obsolete as I understand their mission has changed with a name change to Special Reconnaissance.  My question has to do with the upper gray beret with the US Army Joint Special Operations Command flash.  I'm assuming a USAF SOWT airman was attached to JSOC and required to wear their flash.  My question is am I correct in this assumption and what beret badge would have been worn on the JSOC flash?  Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

 

 

SOWT Grouping eBay # 363368395057 (3).JPG

SOWT Grouping eBay # 363368395057 (13).JPG

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  • 2 months later...

HELLO ALL

 

THE GRAY BERET WAS WORN BY THE AIR WEATHES SERVICE,

I GOT MY BERET FROM  COL.  WAYNE DOWNING  WHEN HE WAS TDY AT MC dILL AFB. DURING AIRFEST.

THE BERET BADGE WORN WAS THE 2ND SIZE SOCOM BADGE

( SEE PIC, THE LARGER BADGE IS THE BERET BADGE )

 

HOPE THIS HELPS   AHR

 

IMG_0807.jpeg

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14 minutes ago, AHR said:

HELLO ALL

 

THE GRAY BERET WAS WORN BY THE AIR WEATHES SERVICE,

I GOT MY BERET FROM  COL.  WAYNE DOWNING  WHEN HE WAS TDY AT MC dILL AFB. DURING AIRFEST.

THE BERET BADGE WORN WAS THE 2ND SIZE SOCOM BADGE

( SEE PIC, THE LARGER BADGE IS THE BERET BADGE )

 

HOPE THIS HELPS   AHR

 

IMG_0807.jpeg

Many thanks for this information as I had placed the wrong beret badge (Sta-Brite SOWT) onto this flash.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 5/16/2021 at 7:35 PM, Tonomachi said:

I picked up the below grouping of USAF Special Operations Weather Team insignia which is now obsolete as I understand their mission has changed with a name change to Special Reconnaissance.  My question has to do with the upper gray beret with the US Army Joint Special Operations Command flash.  I'm assuming a USAF SOWT airman was attached to JSOC and required to wear their flash.  My question is am I correct in this assumption and what beret badge would have been worn on the JSOC flash?  Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

 

 

SOWT Grouping eBay # 363368395057 (3).JPG

SOWT Grouping eBay # 363368395057 (13).JPG

Tonomachi, all kinds of combinations of Flash and Device have been worn by the Weather Teams. Find attached what I have had to this point. Now, based on your post and the additional information provided by AHR I will have to revise the layout. Thanks for posting. 

AW2.PNG

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Well here is another short lived Combat Weather Team or SOWT beret badge that not many people are aware of (see photo).   Members of the SOWT were trying to get the USAF to authorize an all silver metal beret badge like those worn by the Combat Control Teams and the Pararescue Teams.   They did not want an enameled beret badge that many other USAF units like the Air Police Squadrons were wearing on their berets.   They apparently got authorization to wear the all oxidized silver SOWT metal beret badge but shortly thereafter for unknown reason they were told by the USAF that they would have to wear the enameled version.   I don't know the whole story on what happened but maybe someone else does.   I obtained this beret badge in I think it was the 1980s when a member of the SOWT was trying to gather funds to have a batch of all silver beret badges produced for submission and approached the Chute & Dagger Association.  Members would forward payment to a specific SOWT NCO who would have these beret badges made up and in turn would send each participating member one badge.  There were a number of lengthy delays so the SWOT NCO was nice enough to sent an additional enamel SWOT beret badge and had the pair engraved on the back with matching numbers.  

IMG_2648.JPG

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51 minutes ago, 468abnarm said:

Tonomachi, all kinds of combinations of Flash and Device have been worn by the Weather Teams. Find attached what I have had to this point. Now, based on your post and the additional information provided by AHR I will have to revise the layout. Thanks for posting. 

AW2.PNG

Regarding your get looking chart I believe the SOWT beret badge you have listed as Type I should be Type II as the colored enameled beret badge came before the black and silver beret badge pictured below.

 

 

SOWT Ira Greene (2).JPG

SOWT Ira Greene (3).JPG

SOWT Ira Greene (4).JPG

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WOW 2 REAL NICE OLDER WEATHER BADGES, WOULD BE NICE TO FIND A PAIR.

 

ALSO I HAVE TO MAKE A MAJOR NAME CORRECTION ABOUT THE OWNER OF MY GRAY BERET.

 

THE CORRECT OWNER WAS ( COL. WAYNE GOULDING)  AND NOT COL. WAYNE DOWNING.

COL. GOULDING WAS TDY OUT OF HURLBERT IN FL. TO McDill AFB.

 

THANKS  AHR

 

 

 

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21 hours ago, Tonomachi said:

Well here is another short lived Combat Weather Team or SOWT beret badge that not many people are aware of (see photo).   Members of the SOWT were trying to get the USAF to authorize an all silver metal beret badge like those worn by the Combat Control Teams and the Pararescue Teams.   They did not want an enameled beret badge that many other USAF units like the Air Police Squadrons were wearing on their berets.   They apparently got authorization to wear the all oxidized silver SOWT metal beret badge but shortly thereafter for unknown reason they were told by the USAF that they would have to wear the enameled version.   I don't know the whole story on what happened but maybe someone else does.   I obtained this beret badge in I think it was the 1980s when a member of the SOWT was trying to gather funds to have a batch of all silver beret badges produced for submission and approached the Chute & Dagger Association.  Members would forward payment to a specific SOWT NCO who would have these beret badges made up and in turn would send each participating member one badge.  There were a number of lengthy delays so the SWOT NCO was nice enough to sent an additional enamel SWOT beret badge and had the pair engraved on the back with matching numbers.  

IMG_2648.JPG

So could the one on the left actual be considered Type I the the enameled one Type 2 and the the "standard" one being Type 3?

I will put together a revised graphic and send. Good eye on the badge placement error of my existing display. That one was all my fault for being in a hurry when putting it together. Thanks again for the info.

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2 hours ago, 468abnarm said:

So could the one on the left actual be considered Type I the the enameled one Type 2 and the the "standard" one being Type 3?

I will put together a revised graphic and send. Good eye on the badge placement error of my existing display. That one was all my fault for being in a hurry when putting it together. Thanks again for the info.

The SOWT apparently wore a medium blue beret before changing over to the gray beret.  What I don't know is if they wore a basic paratrooper wing on their blue berets just like the Combat Control Teams did before they switched over to their scarlet berets with their new all silver beret badges.  If you don't count the basic paratrooper wing on a blue beret the silver oxidized beret badge was their first beret badge which apparently was authorized for wear for only a short period of time.  It is my understanding that there were a number of different USAF squadrons wearing berets with enameled beret badges.  The SOWT wanted to stand out like Pararescue and CCT who were the only USAF groups at that time (early 1980s) wearing all silver beret badges.  However something happened and the SOWT were forced by the USAF to replace their preferred silver oxidized beret badges with the enameled version.  I had a letter of authenticity that came with these badges from the mentioned SOWT NCO who had these badges produced for their team but I seemed to have misplaced it over the years.   It looks like they (SOWT) continued their efforts to get an all silver beret badge after the USAF went to all Sta-Brite insignia with their third beret badge design being constructed of silver metal with a mirror like finish and black enameling.   This third design was worn on two different flashes as well as by itself without a flash (see photos).  It looks like they also had this third design embroidered directly onto one of their beret flashes.  They finally succeeded in getting their all silver metal beret badge with their fourth design (see photo) which they still wear except the wording in the scrolls was changed from SPECIAL OPERATIONS WEATHER to SPECIAL U.S.A.F. RECON which would make it their fifth beret badge (see photo).  I just found a short write up in one of the older Chute & Dagger Newsletters identifying the mentioned SOWT NCO and proof that the silver oxidized beret badge was their first design.  I would consider their first silver oxidized beret badge as being very scarce as I have yet to come across another one for sale since.  

 

It would appear that a number of USAF groups pushed for and received their own all silver metal beret badges like the TACP, SERE Specialist/Instructors and I've come across an all silver ARRS beret badge that I know nothing about (see photos).  

 

Lastly there is a silver metal beret badge for officers (see photo) that I'm not that familiar with.  It suggests based on the design that instead of each group having their own officers there is now a USAF Special Tactics officer that oversee Pararescue, CCT, Special Reconnaissance and one other group that represents the eagle maybe TACP.

 

 

USAF SOWT All Silver.JPG

SOWT Photos (8).jpeg

SOWT Photos (6).png

SOWT Photos (7).jpg

Beret AF Combat Weather Team  (3).jpg

SOWT Last Design (2).JPG

USAF Special Recon Beret (2).jpg

TACP5.jpg

s-l500 (2).jpg

SERE (3).jpeg

Pararescue ARRS Badge.jpg

STO.jpg

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On 7/29/2021 at 12:31 PM, AHR said:

HELLO ALL

 

THE GRAY BERET WAS WORN BY THE AIR WEATHES SERVICE,

I GOT MY BERET FROM  COL.  WAYNE DOWNING  WHEN HE WAS TDY AT MC dILL AFB. DURING AIRFEST.

THE BERET BADGE WORN WAS THE 2ND SIZE SOCOM BADGE

( SEE PIC, THE LARGER BADGE IS THE BERET BADGE )

 

HOPE THIS HELPS   AHR

 

IMG_0807.jpeg

AHR, Thanks for the information. I will defiantly do some more research on this..

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  • 4 months later...

Just for an add, J. Ried wearing the early pewter badge(second style) on Black/Blue w Yellow boarder flash in Panama. A long time ago, maybe 80s 90s?

img023.jpg

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  • 5 months later...

Picked up a Special USAF Recon beret yesterday at the Fairplex Show in Pomona, California.

 

 

DSCF2784.JPG

DSCF2785.JPG

DSCF2786.JPG

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  • 9 months later...
Heatherway96

Hello Tonomachi! Here is a graphic I summarized and made about the evolution of the weather parachutists beret from 1979 to present. Welcome to discuss or correct.

Grey Beret 1979 to present.jpg

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Heatherway96
11 minutes ago, Heatherway96 said:

Hello Tonomachi! Here is a graphic I summarized and made about the evolution of the weather parachutists beret from 1979 to present. Welcome to discuss or correct.

Grey Beret 1979 to present.jpg

 

aws weather parachutists.jpg

acc weather parachutists.jpg

afsoc weather parachutists.jpg

usafe and pacaf weather parachutists.jpg

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Great information and graphics for a unit that not many people know about as I know this took a lot of work on your part.  I know there isn't a lot of space so acronyms are necessary but I'm pretty sure some will be difficult to decipher for a civilian.

 

I've watched some videos online that their new reconnaissance mission may include members of the unit going into an aera in civilian clothing ahead of time for the needed information which is completely different from their now secondary mission of weather forecasting.

 

 

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Heatherway96
On 3/29/2023 at 3:56 AM, Tonomachi said:

Great information and graphics for a unit that not many people know about as I know this took a lot of work on your part.  I know there isn't a lot of space so acronyms are necessary but I'm pretty sure some will be difficult to decipher for a civilian.

 

I've watched some videos online that their new reconnaissance mission may include members of the unit going into an aera in civilian clothing ahead of time for the needed information which is completely different from their now secondary mission of weather forecasting.

 

 

Yes, the core of today's SR operators is multi-domain reconnaissance and surveillance, with weather analysis relegated to the back burner.

 

It was an oversight on my part that the abbreviations that appear in the graphic are not expanded. Thank you so much for pointing it out.

 

ACC: Air Combat Command
ANG: Air National Guard
AWS: Air Weather Service
CWS: Combat Weather Squadron
CWT(A): Combat Weather Team (Airborne)
Det: Detachment
DUI: Distinctive Unit Insignia
PACAF: Pacific Air Forces
RGR RGT: Ranger Regiment
SFG(A): Special Forces Group (Airborne)
SOAR: Special Operations Aviation Regiment
STS: Special Tactics Squadron
USAFE: U.S. Air Forces in Europe
USASOC: U.S. Army Special Operations Command
WS: Weather Squadron

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