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Dew Line patch '59-'60


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This is my Fathers Dew Line patch. He served on the Dew Line in '59-'60. For those that are wondering, DEW Line stood for "Distant Early Warning" and was a series of radar stations in the Alutions. He sent me this patch when I was around five ( we were living with G-Parants in Iowa, and I have managed to hang on to it all these years. My Father served in the Navy from '47 to '56, went into the AF from '56 to '60 and then in '60 returned to the Navy. This is all that remains of anything AF from him. I had his hats for awhile but as kids will do, destroyed them long ago. His fatigues and khakis went to my farmer uncles and also were worn out long ago. Some where there is a B&W photo of me wearing his AF parka.

 

Steve Heson

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Patchcollector

Actually,the DEW line went far beyond the Aleutian Islands,there was also a Pinetree Line,and a Mid-Canada line to back up the DEW line as well.Nice patch,looks to be made in Japan,by my guess.Here is a link to an excellent webpage about the lines.

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Actually,the DEW line went far beyond the Aleutian Islands,there was also a Pinetree Line,and a Mid-Canada line to back up the DEW line as well.Nice patch,looks to be made in Japan,by my guess.Here is a link to an excellent webpage about the lines.

Dad's AF time was not a good time for us. He was not happy and was gone all the time, 5 duty stations in 4 years. He said he had more time at home on sea duty which was why he went into the AF to begin with. As for the patch, he got it in the little "Gedunk" there at the station so most likely was Japanese made.

 

Steve

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Patchcollector

Those units were often placed in barren,out of the way places,and if I remember right,alot of the time,the men could'nt take their families with them.

I'm sure that many families suffered and sacrificed just as the soldiers themselves did,they deserve tribute too!Hats off to the families as well!

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This a thread that I started a few years ago with a few photos of the DEW Line.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...amp;hl=dew+line

We do still have some old 8mm movies that my dad took while up there. It was interesting that they all wore civies. In on e of the movies, the guys are going hunting bear. They are armed with M-1s and a BAR, along with the associated web gear. I think at his station there were around 20 guys. His station was on an island and he spent most of his time taking care of the boats, an old 26ft whale boat and an LCVP. He had been a boat engineer in the Navy at one time, so he got that duty. Not sure what his real job was there.

 

Steve Hesson

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Cool patch!!! 714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Detachment 4

 

the 714th had 5 detachments and Port Moller was Detachment 4

 

 

Mark

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here is all the info I have on the 714th

 

714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron headquarters was at Cold Bay

-detachment 1 was at Nickolski

-detachment 2 was at Cap Serichef

-detachment 3 was at Dutch Harbor

-detachment 4 was at Port Moller

-detachment 5 was at Port Heiden

 

Each detachment had 24 enlisted and 1 officer

 

detachment 4 call sign was COB-4 and was 105 miles away from there HQ in Cold Bay. The 714th was stationed there from 1959 to 1963 operating AN/FPS-19 RADAR

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Manchu Warrior
Neat stuff Manchu,cool pics,and I really liked the Christmas card! :twothumbup:

I thought they were really cool photos and I only paid $2.00 for them at an auction a few years ago.

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Manchu Warrior
Neat stuff Manchu,cool pics,and I really liked the Christmas card! :twothumbup:

I thought they were really cool photos and I only paid $2.00 for them at an auction a few years ago.

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here is all the info I have on the 714th

 

714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron headquarters was at Cold Bay

-detachment 1 was at Nickolski

-detachment 2 was at Cap Serichef

-detachment 3 was at Dutch Harbor

-detachment 4 was at Port Moller

-detachment 5 was at Port Heiden

 

Each detachment had 24 enlisted and 1 officer

 

detachment 4 call sign was COB-4 and was 105 miles away from there HQ in Cold Bay. The 714th was stationed there from 1959 to 1963 operating AN/FPS-19 RADAR

So it would look like my patch is not a Squadron patch, but a Det patch for Port Moller.

 

Steve Hesson

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So it would look like my patch is not a Squadron patch, but a Det patch for Port Moller.

 

Steve Hesson

 

ya this is a detachment patch (714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Detachment 4) and is more rare than the Squadron patch.

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I was talking to my father about his time on the Dew Line today. He was with the 4th Det at Port Moller AK. from '59-'60. He said there were 21 men there at the time. 11 were like him, former US Navy. He had been an Electricians Mate in the Navy and was assigned to operate the electric generators that powered every thing. He said there were four generation plants for his station which were powered by deisel engins turning the generators. One night while he was paralelling the generators in one of the plants, the flywheel on the desiel engin came off and went flying out the side of the building. H was on the other side of the engin at the time. Two guys who had been Enginmen in the Navy rebuilt the engin and a former Boatswains Mate rigged a tarp across the side of the building to keep the wind and snow out. He said it was still there when he transfered. Teh next island over was a Russian island with a fishing camp on it. The AF cook at the station was a former Navy cook and originally from Norway. He would go over to the Russian island in a 26 foot Motor Whale boat, crewed by the former BM and my dad as engineer (he had done that in the Navy). They would trade American cigaretts for fresh fish. Dad said they ate good there. Most of the conversations with the Navy guys was about getting out of the AF and going back to the Navy. My father and several others that he knew did that when their tours were up.

 

Steve Hesson

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Patchcollector

Awesome site Tom.I really enjoy the Surveillance and Communications units,they always have interesting histories,

and alot of them were in very exotic locations.The people assigned to them usually have alot of cool stories to share too!

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Awesome site Tom.I really enjoy the Surveillance and Communications units,they always have interesting histories,

and alot of them were in very exotic locations.The people assigned to them usually have alot of cool stories to share too!

 

 

Here's another site:http://www.all-hazards.com/loring/greenpine/index.html

 

Tom

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  • 10 years later...

I just found this site. (2020)  I was on a Air Force Relay site back in the 1951-52 where the Alice White operation

first began testing of the propagation patterens for future expantion for radar operations. I was stationed atop Anvil Mountain

outside of Nome with 8-9 airmen. This was a time when the Dew line was being built...I heard this while at home in Montan befor I joined the AF during the Korean war.  We used 20x40 foot bed spring antennas.  Our transportaion was a army weasle driven thru many blizzards down and back to Nome. There were  2 of us who had military driver lisences. Yes it got very cold  We did not have a  thermomiter to know how cold it got.

   I have never found any information about this site  or other AC & W sites at this  early date....,and I have looked for

many many years.  I was in the 626th AC & W Sqdn. then. I never  heard of fire Island. My home station was in Elmendorf AFB. Latter,  Fire  Island was  built.  At  that time we did not have a 626th AC & W patch.   Fred

 

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