786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron


caption= Official crest of the 786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
dates= March 1951–July 1979
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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size= appx. 250 military personnel at peak operation
command_structure= Air Defense Command
see "Assignments" section below
garrison= Minot Air Force Station
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equipment= see "Equipment" section below
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decorations= see "Lineage and honors" section below
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The 786th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (786 AC&W) was stationed at Minot Air Force Station, North Dakota, initially as part of the Pinetree Line.

History

The 786th was part of the last twenty-three stations constructed as part of the "permanent network". When completely operational in 1952, the permanent network had seventy-five sites.

Background of name

Mission

To guard against a Soviet threat from the north.

Operations

Lineage and honors

Constituted on 30 March 1951;Activated on 20 May 1951;Reallocated under the manual radar network on April 1952;Reallocated under the SAGE network on July 1961;Redesignated on 15 July 1961–15 August 1963 as 786th Radar Squadron (SAGE);Redesignated c. August 1963 as 786th Radar Squadron;Deactivated on 1 July 1979;Disestablished c. September 1979.

Service streamers

This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:

none

Campaign streamers

This unit earned the following organizational campaign streamers:

none

Armed forces expeditionary streamers

This unit earned the following organizational expeditionary streamers:

none

Decorations

This unit earned the following organizational decorations:

none

Awards

Emblem

Description

: "On a medium blue shield edged black, a black silhouetted map of the United States, bordered white, surmounted in the chief area of the shield by a black silhouetted radome edged white; an arrow piercing the radome, a radar scope on lower part of radome and two silhouetted aircraft in northwest and southeast corners respectively of the map, all white, details black."

Significance

: "The emblem is symbolic of the Aircraft Control and Warning Mission in that electronic detection is indicated by the lightning bolt through the radome; surveillance and control is represented by the radar scope and aircraft and the map of the United States represents the Squadron's constant vigilance in safe-guarding our nation."

Approval date

: emblem approved for use: 16 November 1956

Assignments

543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 20 May 1951–February 1952;
31st Air Division, February 1952–February 1953;
29th Air Division, February 1953–January 1961;
Minot Air Defense Sector, January 1961–July 1961;
Great Falls Air Defense Sector, June 1963–April 1966;
28th Air Division, April 1966–November 1969;
24th Air Division, November 1969–29 September 1979.

Stations

Velva Air Force Station (later, Minot Air Force Station), North Dakota, 20 May 1951.

SAGE GATR at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

: "DC" prefix designation = SAGE Direction Center: "P" prefix designation = Pinetree: "TM" prefix designation = Third Mobile: "Z" prefix designation = SAGE LRRS

; ADC : Adjacent Direction Center; CC : Control Center; GATR : Ground to Air Transmitter-Receiver; GFA : Gap Filler Annex; JSS : Joint Surveillance System; LRSS : Long Range Radar Site; SDC : Sector Direction Center

† SAGE CC blockhouse was constructed but equipment was never installed due to budget cuts. The blockhouse was also the only 2-story SAGE CC blockhouse built.

Equipment

AN/FPS-3 search, April 1951–1958;AN/FPS-5 search, April 1951–1958;AN/GPS-3 search, 1957;AN/TPS-10D height-finder, 1957;AN/FPS-20 search (replacing AN/FPS-3), 1958–1961;AN/FPS-6 height-finder (replacing AN/FPS-5), 1958;AN/FPS-6B height-finder, 1959–1964;AN/FPS-66 search (replacing AN/FPS-20), 1961–1965;AN/FPS-26A height-finder, 1964;AN/FPS-6 removed, 1964;AN/FPS-90 height-finder (modified AN/FPS-6B), 1964;AN/FPS-27 search (replacing AN/FPS-66), 1965;

Commanders

Major Robert Friend: 20 May 1951–26 December 1951;Major James Larson: 26 December 1951;Major Leroy Holen: unknown–14 March 1952;Major Edward Stauffer: 14 March 1952–16 April 1955;Major Halvden W. Thompson: 16 April 1955–8 June 1955;Major Leonard J. Schaitel: 8 June 1955–26 July 1957;Major George A. Middleton: 26 July 1957–1960;Major I. D. (Israel) Siegel: c. 1960;Major A. J. Rantal: c. 1960;Major Jacob F. Stevens: c. 1963;Major Fred E. Small: c. 1964–1966;Major Neal C. Brigham: c. 1966;Major Raymond L. Graham: c. 1967–2 January 1971;Major Gordon S. Bounds: c. 1971–1972;Major H. L. Dent: c. 1972–20 July 1974;Major Joseph R. Cox: c. 1974;Major Bruce Smith: c. 1978;Captain Ronald K. Trithart: c. 1979;

References

* cite book
last = Winkler
first = David Frank
authorlink =
coauthors =
editor =
others = Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command
title = Searching the skies : the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program
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year = 1997
month =
publisher = Headquarters Air Combat Command
location = Langley AFB, VA
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id = LCCN|97|0|20912
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External links

* [http://www.minotafs.org/ 786th AC&W Squadron]
* [http://www.radomes.org/museum/index.html Online Air Defense Radar Museum]
* [http://www.petemuseum.org/ Peterson Air and Space Museum]