USAF Combat Crew Badge

[QED4]

Dose anyone know the story on these Badges? Were they ever authorized and if so when and what were the qualifications to be awarded one. I have never seen one on a uniform and have only been able to find them in one rather questionable book. This one was made by NS Meyers and has the 22M code on the back. Were they in the same category as the Combat Artillery and Combat Armor badges?

[John Cooper]

The 3 digit codes I think were started in 1964.

 

John

[Dirk]

QED: This badge was awarded to SAC bomber, tanker and missile (ICBM) crews...you were awarded one once you were certified to pull a nuclear alert.....I was awarded mine in the early 80's...I've been told they have been phased out. Dirk

[JBFloyd]

Also worn by weapons controllers (air defense intercept directors). Worn only on duty. We all had them in NORAD (1970-71), but you got severely harrassed if you actually wore it.

 

Missile crews generally wore them in embroidered versions on their crew uniforms.

[vzemke]

Anyone know when these first came out? I have a sterling NS Meyer one on a USAF senior NCO's uniform from a guy who served in the USMC during WWII and later joined the USAF, retiring probably sometime in the early to mid 1960's.

Thanks,

Vance

[Lee Ragan]

I was in SAC 1966-1970 and B-52 & KC-135 crews wore them on class A blues and class B uniforms. I think I read somewhere on one of these forums that the badge was dropped in the late 1980's or maybe early 1990's.

[QED4]

Thanks for the information, I could not find it in any of the AF Officer Guides or Airman's Guides or the AF website and was wondering if it was ever authorized. I guess it was but it is newer than I thought, I figured they had disappeared in the 1950s or 60s, I learn something every time I look at this forum.

[dpcsdan]

Thanks for the information, ...I learn something every time I look at this forum.

Me too, and that's a good thing!

[Lee Ragan]

Thanks for the information, I could not find it in any of the AF Officer Guides or Airman's Guides or the AF website and was wondering if it was ever authorized. I guess it was but it is newer than I thought, I figured they had disappeared in the 1950s or 60s, I learn something every time I look at this forum.

I garantee if they weren't authorized, you wouldn't have seen SAC crews wearing them!

[coli8344]

Ignore my frown face but this was 1985 and we were using them on our uniforms. I think around the late 80's our missile crews started wearing the blue cloth version on our alert missile crew uniforms. Carlos

[mvmhm]

Here's the info on the Combat Crew Badger; we (Combat Comm Squadrons) used to wear them as well, but they phased them out for us - a real source of heartburn for Combat Comm'ers.

 

The Combat Crew Badge was established by the United States Air Force on September 1, 1964. It was worn by those USAF personnel serving in positions where they were accruing creditable service towards the Combat Readiness Medal as outlined in U.S. Air Force regulation 900-48. It was a qualification badge and not a medal; it was therefore not a permanent award. The Air Force eliminated the Combat Crew Badge from wear in August 1993. This was done under the auspices of addressing uniform accouterments to eliminate duplication, achieve standardization, and promote an uncluttered appearance. The badge was worn on the wearer's right side above the name tag.

 

 

Mark sends

[m1ashooter]

I worn one as a SAC crew dog from 1980 to 84.

[Sabrejet]

I have a white on blue cloth version on a fatigue shirt.

[coli8344]

We didn't have those when I was in but I have seen pictures and they look nice.

[Third Herd]

US Air Force Combat Crew, established September 1, 1964 and eliminated August 1993.

[S.ChrisKelly]

Post #10 answers the question.  The USAF Combat Crew badge was awarded to those accruing service towards award of the Combat Readiness Medal.  The USAF CRM did not replace the USAF Combat Crew badge.  However, the USAF Combat Crew badge was removed from the uniform when the recipient was no longer part of a Combat Crew.

 

General Merrill McPeak, of all people, was extremely predjudiced against personnel who weren't pilots and navigators.  He, of all people, wanted an "uncluttered" uniform appearance...  for everyone who wasn't a pilot or navigator.  He was USAF Chief of Staff, 1990 - 1994.

 

The USAF Combat Crew badge was never re - instated once made obsolete in August 1993.  It was the descendant of the blue patches worn behind wings on USAAF uniforms.  See image below.

 

By the way...  The official USAF portait in Post #10 looks great.  That's a SAC Missileer!  

 

Source [image]:

https://soldiersmuseum.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=739

 

[S.ChrisKelly]

ADDENDUM:

The USAF Combat Crew Badge was not a qualification badge.  It was a duty identifier badge, much like the USAF Recruiter's Badge

 

Source:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Service_Recruiter_Badges_(United_States)

 

[MinutemanEMTer]

Yes. In the 80s all ICBM Combat Crew personnel wore these badges on crew blues and fatigues (cloth) and all uniform combinations (metal).

[S.ChrisKelly]

I may be wrong, but I think this badge was "intended" for nuclear deterrence personnel.  When I was on EAD, I never saw a fighter pilot or a combat controller wearing one.

[MinutemanEMTer]

I'm not certain, but I think this was a SAC badge only. 

[JBFloyd]

57 minutes ago, MinutemanEMTer said:

I'm not certain, but I think this was a SAC badge only. 

Air Defense Command weapons controllers were authorized these as well, although rarely worn.

[S.ChrisKelly]

The USAF regulations were not MAJCOM specific.

 

Below...  A selection of USAF Combat Crew badges from around the internet...  and this forum!