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


Bob Hudson
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He is wearing the Air Training Command Instructors Badge, or the "Flying Popsicle" as it was often called. When wearing fatigues, the badge would be worn on the Ridgeway cap. This series of badges was relpaced in the late 60's by the round enamelled Instructors badge.

Thanks Lee

 

 

And here it is, we assume he's wearing some kind of name plate under these wings.

 

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Air Training Command Instructors Badge

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blau-und-weiss

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T/Sgt. A.T. White, U.S.A.F. South Korea. Wartime service as a Combat Infantryman 29th Infantry Division (he was not pre-war national guard but a draftee filler before 29th Inf Div. left the Z.I. for England) As you see, his 29th Inf Div patch is the approved design, unlike the one worn by the Air Policeman in Morocco as seen HERE posts #300-302-303-304. The foto is-dated to May 15, 1954, T/Sgt. White was attending the Armed Forces Day parade at Eighth Army Headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

 

This must be Albert T White, Jr. who was listed in HQ Co. of the 2/116th Inf, 29th Div. Any idea where he was from?

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Here's one more from Fiend Without a Face :lol:

 

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*An error on my part in that first posting, the guy in the Bomber Jacket is in fact an AF guy, I said Navy. It's Marshall Thompson by jove as Major Jeff Cummings USAF :D.

 

 

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blau-und-weiss

B and W, Found he was from New York City.

Thanks patches! That's very interesting, because I thought the draftee fillers were from Virginia and Maryland, "neighbors' of fellow 29er's...

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blau-und-weiss

This was my Dad in 1951, after training and on leave. After this visit home he was sent to Korea.

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Maybe taken in Korea, my Dad Leslie "Leck" Grigsby was a crash medic...

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Basic training pic at Lackland AFB in 1951...

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Family reunion, 1951. Lotts Creek, KY.

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Thanks patches! That's very interesting, because I thought the draftee fillers were from Virginia and Maryland, "neighbors' of fellow 29er's...

The U.S. Army of WWII was not like the German Army, in that it was not regional where recruits were from the same city and general area, who were taken in and then trained and sent out to their field unit from their regiment home garrison, sure it was in the beginning with the NG or those few guys in the reserves, but after federalization recently trained guys were sent to any given Division regardless of where the,re from, So in the extreme you'll see a Floridian, a draftee, who Great Grand Pappy was in a Florida Regiment up in the Carolinas in the Civil War serving in the 26th Infantry Division MASS NG, The YANKEE Division :lol:.

 

 

 

To show what we're talking about. You'll see eleven holders of the Medal of Honor for the 32nd Infantry Division of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard, eight of them are not from either Wisconsin or Michigan, so too it was in the 29th Div.

 

http://www.32nd-division.org/history/moh/32moh.html

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Here's a basic training photo from Parks Air Force Base from July 1955.

 

Two questions. 1. What are the straps worn on the eppaulettes of the airman (Airman Third Class?) in the center on the first row? Does that designate him as a drill instructor or perhaps an honor graduate?

 

2. If he is in fact the drill instructor, was it common for that position to be filled with someone who I guess would be an E-2 or whatever the 1955 equivalent of that rank was?

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There seems to be quite a mix of fatigue uniforms in this photo. The NCO in the lower left appears to be wearing some sort of two piece uniform while the man to his left seems to have on a one piece coverall uniform.

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Trainee in the Aviation Cadet Commissioning Program around 1955.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/102367-usaf-aviation-cadet-commissioning-program/

 

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Closeup of an Air Policeman wearing NCO Academy shoulder tabs mid-50's.

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Another shot of a group of Air Policemen

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Women's Air Force

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Here's a basic training photo from Parks Air Force Base from July 1955.

 

Two questions. 1. What are the straps worn on the eppaulettes of the airman (Airman Third Class?) in the center on the first row? Does that designate him as a drill instructor or perhaps an honor graduate?

 

2. If he is in fact the drill instructor, was it common for that position to be filled with someone who I guess would be an E-2 or whatever the 1955 equivalent of that rank was?

The man in question is wearing epaulet slip-ons that designate him as an instructor. And yes, they had A3C T.I.'s during the 50's. A lot of them were A2C (E-3). Check out this website for a lot more info on USAF T.I.'s: www.usafmtia.org

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A MEGA USAF site on the 50s and 60s, loads of photos of uniforms, both Dress, Flight, and Work Utilities, and Aircraft.

 

This page you'll initially see is regarding the B-58 Hustler and the crews. At the bottom of the page is where you'll see all the clickable topics that you'll be redirected to.

 

https://jetpilotoverseas.wordpress.com/category/b-58/

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Class photo from June 1959 at Keesler AFB, MS. The airmen are wearing khaki shorts as it gets very hot and humid in South Mississippi in the summer. Also note that a couple of them are wearing aguillettes.

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Basic training photo from Keesler AFB in 1961 with two training instructors wearing pith helmets.

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Two photos of AIr Force flight nurse Lt. Jonita Bonham. She was born on April 2, 1922 in Bennington, Oklahoma, and joined the Army Air Corps, where she was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Medical Corps. She served in the Philippines and Japan after World War II, and then returned to the United States, resigning from active military duty.

When the Korean War broke out she rejoined the military, this time as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. On September 26, 1950, she was serving as a flight nurse with another nurse, Vera Brown, in a C-54 cargo plane that had been converted into an emergency hospital. Bonham and Brown were two of three medical team members on the flight that day. About a half mile from shore the plane stalled, descended, and slammed into the Sea of Japan, breaking into three pieces and sinking.
Bonham, who was completely submerged in the aircraft, managed to fight her way to the surface, where she found herself swimming for her life in a sea churned up by high winds. She hung onto a floating barracks bag until she was able to grab a life raft rope. She stayed in the water, grabbing other survivors and guiding them to the rope. It was not until 17 of them were safe that she allowed herself to be pulled into one of two available rafts. Although she was seriously wounded, she forgot about her own injuries as she encouraged panicked survivors to stay in the raft until rescue. Unfortunately, nobody at base operations knew that the plane had crashed. Once rescued, Bonham spent nine months in the hospital recovering from a broken cheek bone, skull fracture, broken shoulder and broken left wrist. She was transferred to Maxwell AFB for further recovery, and there she became the first female recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Soon thereafter she was promoted to Captain.
Bonham's Distinguished Flying Cross citation:
“First Lieutenant Jonita R. Bonham performed meritorious service and distinguished herself while acting as Flight Nurse in medical air evacuation flights totaling one hundred seventy (170) hours from 25 July to 26 September 1950. Lieutenant Bonham flew in unarmed cargo type aircraft. On many occasions these aircraft were operating in and out of advance airfields which were being subjected to enemy fire; transporting ammunition, rockets, bombs and other types of high explosives and inflammable material, under adverse weather conditions and over hazardous terrain. Despite these conditions, Lieutenant Bonham carried out her missions willingly and without complaint, continually comforting and caring for her patients. By her courage, ability and unselfish devotion to duty, Lieutenant Bonham has reflected great credit upon herself, her profession and the United States Air Force.”
In the first photo, she is shown at Pusan, South Korea in 1950. In the second photo, she is shown receiving the DFC from Gen. George Stratemeyer while in the hospital in Tokyo
October 18, 1950.

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A MEGA USAF site on the 50s and 60s, loads of photos of uniforms, both Dress, Flight, and Work Utilities, and Aircraft.

 

This page you'll initially see is regarding the B-58 Hustler and the crews. At the bottom of the page is where you'll see all the clickable topics that you'll be redirected to.

 

https://jetpilotoverseas.wordpress.com/category/b-58/

Wow, what a cool site! I've never seen it before, I guess I know what I'll be doing this afternoon. Thanks!

 

Justin B.

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Maybe we can get some actual examples here from members instead of just photos?!?!

I think those are in the main posted already on an individual basis in the Uniform section proper.

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Class photo from June 1959 at Keesler AFB, MS. The airmen are wearing khaki shorts as it gets very hot and humid in South Mississippi in the summer. Also note that a couple of them are wearing aguillettes.

The shoulder cords were worn by barracks commanders (who were also trainees), and the color varies from base to base. At Chanute AFB in the mid 60's these troops wore a green cord. At the same time, a yellow cord was also used and a red one. I forget what duties required which color. These were just called "ropes", and were only worn on uniforms when on base. A throw-back to the old Army "acting-Jack", or temporary NCO's. As I remember it, a green rope was to have the authority of a Staff Sgt. in relation to the other trainees.

Some of this is a little fuzzy, it's been a LONG time ago!

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I was at Keesler in 1968/1969 and I remember that the green ropes were like barracks chiefs for small areas. The yellow ropes were the next and the red ropes were at the top, but I draw a blank on what they did.

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Maybe we can get some actual examples here from members instead of just photos?!?!

Agreed...

 

Here is the Liaison Pilots uniform I posted in the "real or what" forum a few weeks back. Think it belongs in here.

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