On 06 May 2004 14:29:20 GMT, (BUFDRVR) wrote:

McSally becomes the first woman to command a combat squadron.

Not 100% true. In 1994 I had to wake up extra early to be on "Good Morning
America" with our new squadron commander (a woman) who was being hailed as the
"first woman to command a combat squadron". Now, granted, we were a Minuteman
III ICBM squadron, but we were still considered a combat (designated as Combat
Crews) unit.

Ahh, those were the days. The development of the "Combat Crew" badge
to provide dignity to the non-combatants in the holes of the great
American prairies. Never saw one on an aircrew uniform at least in the
Unified commands. Did see one or two on the pockets of some Specified
command drivers....

And the missile badge, predecessor of the current generation fixation
with a badge for every specialty. Gotta look real close to see if the
brightly nickle-plated escutcheon is personnel, finance, food
services, JAG, or civil engineers.

For a while at Nellis we wanted to all wear missileer badges--only we
were going to wear them horizontally just below our wings. SAC's
missiles pointed upward, ours fired horizontally. We actually got to
shoot ours.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8