Ground observer corps wing badge

[David Wheatley]

I picked these up today...what can you tell me about them?

[GLM]

I picked these up today...what can you tell me about them?

 

David,

 

Your wings were for the US Air Force's voluntary "Ground Observer Corps," manned by civilians during the Cold War in the 1950's and early 1960's. These Observers watched for enemy aircraft, missiles and rockets launched from Russia in pretty much the same way the AWS watched for Axis aircraft during WWII, or so I've been told. These wings also come with different numbers of "watch" hours on them.

 

Here is a cloth GOC wing that came to me in a huge patch collection late last year. It measures 4" from wingtip to wingtip and the unusual thing about it is that it has the Civil Defense connection, which isn't usually encountered on USAF GOC insignia.

Gary