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Post-WWII 1950's & 1960's US Air Force uniform photos


Bob Hudson
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Love those blue shirt pics!

Has to be 1970's, look at there hair!

As for post 228, those WAF are wearing the WAC colors IMO.

Terry

 

Yeah Terry, those sideburns on the second Airman with the cap on are very period 70s.

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  • 6 months later...

Here is my contribution...Here's a little background on these photo's. My Dad enlisted in the USAF in October 1948 and retired in 1968. I was going through his photos and thought you guys would like to his uniforms throughout the years.

 

Lackland AFB - 1948

PvtEggers_LAFB_1948_zps681247c2.jpg[/url]

 

Airframe Repair/Sheet Metal - Chanute AFB - 1949

SM_Class_Chanute_1949_1_zpsd2c144cb.jpg[/url]

 

Airframe Repair/Sheet Metal - Chanute AFB - 1949

SM_Class_Chanute_1949_zps991424a4.jpg[/url]

 

Airframe Repair/Sheet Metal - Chanute AFB - 1950

Acft_SM_Chanute_1950_zpse00a5a71.jpg[/url]

 

Instructor Academy - Class 52A - Maxwell AFB - 1952

Acad_Inst_Crs_52A_MxwlAFB_zps5edfecbf.jp[/url]

 

Instructor Academy - Class 52B - Maxwell AFB - 1952

Acad_Inst_Crs_52B_MxwlAFB_zps15b256c4.jp[/url]

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Continuing...

 

MSgt Eggers - Beale AFB Base newspaper photo for nomination for SAC NCO of the Year - Note the third ribbon on the top row. I don't know what this one is.

MSgtEggers_SAC_Nominee_zps23203d94.jpg

 

MSgt Eggers - Official Photo - Otis AFB - 1967? - Note the instructor badge, third ribbon on top row has been replaced with an Outstanding Unit Award

DADMSGT_OtisAFB_zpsf7bce8d5.jpg

 

MSgt Eggers uniform in photo above. The blue epaulet sleeve on the left shoulder denoted Strategic Air Command NCO Academy, March AFB, CA which dad attended in 1965. (I put it back on his uniform so it wouldn't get lost.)

IMG_1939_zps13b9ebae.jpg

IMG_1940_zpsab4f4111.jpg

IMG_1941_zpsc30a3bbe.jpg

IMG_1942_zpseb0d29c9.jpg

IMG_1943_zpse49d3d7a.jpg

 

Unknown pin - Sgt Rank with wings. I don't know if this was an official pin. I didn't see anything like this in this forum. Maybe some here can identify.

IMG_1944_zps776f6b5e.jpg

 

I have other service coats that my Dad wore during his time in, but they are different shades of blue. I will post pics when I can dig them out.

 

Enjoy

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@stevev22fe

 

Interesting pics. Thanks for posting and keeping this great thread going.

 

Question for our many experts out there:

 

Noticed MSgt Eggers has "knots" on his AF Good Conduct. Didn't they come with Oak Leaves, unlike the Army Good Conduct? Or was it optional?

 

(See my old man's ribbon rack, same era, pictured for comparison.

 

 

 

post-7471-0-60015500-1379661441.jpg

post-7471-0-43287800-1379661464.jpg

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I just saw the pics in post #343 for the first time. I realize they are "colorized" but I think the bottom one might be in error in that the airman's uniform is probably really OD rather than AF blue. I believe it's from the transitional period when AF insignia was worn on the the old style OD uniform. My reason for this assumption is his Enlisted Airman's collar brass. The cut out wing-prop device would have been brass and was only worn on the OD uniform. Silver examples do exist (I have some) but as far as I'm aware they were never officially adopted. The airman pictured here appears to be wearing silver insignia, but, as I said, I believe this is an error on the part of the colourist.

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I just saw the pics in post #343 for the first time. I realize they are "colorized" but I think the bottom one might be in error in that the airman's uniform is probably really OD rather than AF blue....

Then we agree (link here)...and his light "blue" necktie is an even more glaring misstep on the part of the colorist than is the off-color collar insignia.

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I have my dad's old copy of the Air Force Manual NO.35-10 1 July 1966 Service and Dress Uniforms for Air Force Personnel, I just started scanning it, and was wondering if you would like me to add it to the thread here or post it in a new thread.

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I have my dad's old copy of the Air Force Manual NO.35-10 1 July 1966 Service and Dress Uniforms for Air Force Personnel, I just started scanning it, and was wondering if you would like me to add it to the thread here or post it in a new thread.

That would a great reference source for this topic. If you post it in this thread as a .pdf attachment it can be downloaded and saved by Forumers who want to keep a copy.

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Ok I will try and get it all scanned and saved as a pdf and post it here when I get it done.

I use the libraries scanner, so will not have access to it till monday.

I will try and get it done as fast as I can to share with everyone.

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Another type of shoulder loop. Three have a lighter color loop with what I assume are "rank" designators on their loops. "Parsley" has one stripe, "New" has two stripes, and "Edmundson" has three.

 

NCOacademyepauletloop.jpeg

 

075395c8634e116541cd3baa5e95d781.jpg

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Found him again. Louis Laufer, US Navy 1945. Crash boat insignia?

 

add42d4df0a077ce356267b67dd110a6.jpg

The top insignia is the USN embroidered Submarine badge. The one under that is the Submarine Combat Patrol pin. This photo would have been taken between "47 and "50. The Navy moved the embridered Sub badge to this position in '47. from the right cuff. In 1950, they authorised the silver metal pin on Sub Badge for Enlisted Sailors. My father also left the Navy in '56 for the AF, returning to the Navy in '60.

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More bush jackets... Dated 1959

 

4125e6f4fb4a72e72644e90280ef07c2.jpg

 

Odd US insignia placement... Dated 1953

 

5a11dfa7629fe75c946102fdd44ca9b6.jpg

 

Veterinarians... Dated 1968.

 

15525f829bf28749ebb0bb99d31751e2.jpg

In the '53 photo of Louis, the badge under his lappel is a USN Submarine Combat Patrol Badge. I don't know much about AF uniform regs, but this badge was a Combat award, much like the CIB or Combat Medic badges. The Sub Dolphins were a qual badge

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@stevev22fe

 

Interesting pics. Thanks for posting and keeping this great thread going.

 

Question for our many experts out there:

 

Noticed MSgt Eggers has "knots" on his AF Good Conduct. Didn't they come with Oak Leaves, unlike the Army Good Conduct? Or was it optional?

 

(See my old man's ribbon rack, same era, pictured for comparison.

 

 

 

 

I haven't been able to find any reference on the knots on the AF Good Conduct ribbon. Obviously, they were authorized at some point. I wonder if it was one of those instances where they were authorized of you have them, but at some point you had to convert. Since my dad retired in 1968, I wonder if there was a conversion date of the like 1970, but since retirement was approaching, he didn't bother changing them out.

 

Something else, my dad was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, but he's not wearing in any of his photos. He was awarded both the Army and the AF Commendation medal at separate times in his career. I don't know the reason why it's not on his rack. The unfortunate part is that he is longer with us to ask.

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@stevev22fe

 

It seems the Air Force Good Conduct Medal was authorized on June 1, 1963, with Oak Leaves for additional awards, replacing the Army Good Conduct Medal.

So, I suppose that means anybody continuing to use knots on the new medal / ribbon, wasn't following regulations.

But as we've seen many times on this thread, that certainly isn't unusual.....

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Blue 84 Service coat - October 1949 date on coat. I think this was one of my Dad's first coats. I turned the sleeves inside out and I could see the puncture marks for the different size stripes.

 

Blue84_ServiceCoat1949_zpse5271d9c.jpg

 

IMG_1953_zps93c19bbf.jpg

 

Blue 84 Service Coat - Different manufacturer tag. The shade, when held next to the coat above, is just a little different even though it states Blue 84.

 

Blue84_ServiceCoat_zpsc299a165.jpg

 

Latertag_zpsa9ba14d5.jpg

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I finally got the time to upload to google docs the pdf I made of my Dads copy of Air Force Manual No 35-10 from 1 July 1966 Service And Dress Uniforms for Air Force Personnel.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByIevZlScdRiS21XbUE2ZktmTDQ/edit?usp=sharing

I set it so people that click the link can view it. I hope it works this is my first time making a pdf and uploading it to the web. The scanner I used made some of the pages yellower but it is in the scanner program some would be fine and some not. It is still readable and viewable. The can tell it was well viewed by myself and siblings, we even added some scribbles and I also had to erase some pencil shading.lol I also forgot to add I did not scan the blank pages at the end of each section, as it would have been exrtra work for blank pages and no info was lost.

I hope everyone finds this useful.

Allen

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I'm selling a 1949-dated USAF uniform and while the coat's 1949 label was cool, the trouser label was a real surprise: USAF trousers courtesy of the Marine Corps!

 

image.jpg

 

image.jpg

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...I hope everyone finds this useful...

It is very useful and a great addition to our collective knowledge. Thanks for posting the entire here. It answers or otherwise sheds new light on some longstanding questions scattered throughout this thread, as well as preemptively answering other questions not yet asked.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

MSgt Eggers - Beale AFB Base newspaper photo for nomination for SAC NCO of the Year - Note the third ribbon on the top row. I don't know what this one is.

 

post-1963-0-30190300-1381459365.jpg

 

That is the ribbon for the Presidential Unit Citation and it appears to have at least one oak leaf cluster attached to it (link here).

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That is the ribbon for the Presidential Unit Citation and it appears to have at least one oak leaf cluster attached to it (link here).

Thanks!! (I meant to write second ribbon on top row) Although, I find this interesting...I wonder why my dad wasn't wearing it later (prior to retirement). I think I am going to have to go digging through his 201 file and see if I can figure out what the deal is.

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...go digging through his 201 file and see...what the deal is...

 

Here is a WAG for you: The USAF generally followed Army rules on wearing awards and decorations until late in the transitional period. The Army rule on the PUC was (and is) that it could be worn as a permanent award by anyone who was assigned to the unit during the period for which the award was made (or attached and present for 30 days with the unit during the award period) and as a temporary award by anyone assigned or attached to the unit in the future. This is why you might encounter today an Army PFC currently assigned to 31st Infantry Regiment who wears 31st Inf.’s PUC with 2 oak leaf clusters, which the regiment earned more than 70 years ago for gallantry in action during the fall of the Philippines (and which might have been well before even the present-day PFC’s grandfather was born). Your father’s two pictures from ca. 1960s, one with the PUC and one without the PUC, suggest that he was following the Army’s temporary wear rule in picture 1, but was not in picture 2 as he was not then assigned to a unit with PUC credit (n.b.: the temporary wear rule no longer exists in the USAF according the link cited in preceding post). What was your father's unit at Beale AFB? 31st Bombardment Squadron was there from 1960 to 1963 and it was awarded two PUCs for WWII service and one PUC for Korean War service. 744th Bombardment Squadron picked at Beale where 31st BS left off in 1963 and 744th had credit for one PUC for WWII service.

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Here is a first for this thread: An SSI for WWII service worn on a khaki short sleeve shirt. The Master Sergeant wearing the Sixth Air Force SSI is identified as Jesse C. Moore, Sergeant Major, 1162nd USAF Dispensary (picture scanned from the McGuire AFB 1957 yearbook). Both Master Sergeant Moore and the unidentified A1C shown here are wearing short sleeve modifications of standard Army issue khaki long sleeve shirts, which was part of the authorized summer uniform in the USAF until Sept. 30, 1959. There are dozens pictures in this book of officers and other enlisted men wearing both long and short sleeve khaki shirts but M/Sgt. Moore is the only one them sporting a WWII service patch on the short sleeve version. M/Sgt. Moore presumably left the patch that already was on a long sleeve shirt (which would have been unexceptional under USAF rules at that time) when he had it cut-down to a short sleeve version, hence this unusual transitional patch sighting.

 

post-1963-0-09099000-1381712378.jpg

 

 

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