cleatussno Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I am trying to find information for a Christmas present for my father. He was stationed in Myrtle Beach from 1979-1981. He was a mechanic on the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Every time he talks about those planes he gets a big grin on his face as he reminisces. I know next to nothing about military terminology so please excuse my ignorance but... I am trying to find information as to what "Squadron" or "Fighter Group" he would have been a part of. I am hoping to find a old patch or something similar to match the group he was with. The limited research that I have been able to uncover myself indicates that he was with the 354th, but I do not know if this is correct because I tend to get lost in the terminology and jargon. Again, please excuse my ignorance, but I am trying to learn so that I can make this Christmas a good one for him. Thank you for your time. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamocl Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Obvious question, but why not ask out right? Show an interest, and if he enjoys talking about it as much as you think, I am sure he will tell you, and will enjoy telling you. Ask about the stuff he got up to, and what unit he was associated with. I am sure that would make his day. Much better than guessing, then getting a Squadron crest from the wrong unit. You don't have to let on that you are planning to get something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleatussno Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 I would, however we do not get to see each other much, and most of the phone/skype conversations are either with or about the grandchildren. He is never one for many details or to talk about himself so I feel that if I prod him on the subject he will sniff out my motivation. I am hoping to sit down and talk about it more when I actually see him for Christmas. I am hoping that this gift helps start the conversation with all of the grandkids there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenan Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Much better than guessing, then getting a Squadron crest from the wrong unit. You don't have to let on that you are planning to get something. +1 on that. Find an excuse, ask him..unless you're 100% sure the info you get by doing your own research is accurate, I wouldn't take chances giving him the wrong patch.. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Commanding Officer of: 2nd Company 1st financial guard battalion "Mrcine" See our squads here and our . Croatian radio chat for DCS World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagnumHB Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 According to the relevant Wikipedia pages here and here, your father would have indeed been a part of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing. The 354th TFW was then further broken down into three tactical fighter squadrons, the 353rd, 355th, and 356th. Without further information however, it's impossible to determine which of these individual squadrons he would have been assigned to. You would most likely be safe with a 354th patch for the entire wing though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heater Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) In that time frame it would have been an A-10A from the 345 FW the Tail Flash would be MB Edited October 24, 2012 by Heater spelling :) [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] System: Windows 10 (64 bit) 64 GB Memory CPU i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz GTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition HTC VIVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger66 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Another issue is , sometimes there are maintenance squadrons , not attached to the wing ..... heavy maintenance I mean . Just tell him you were reading something about the A-10 , and ask what squad he was in . From that and the date , you could tell what wing that was too , and tail code . But A-10 at Myrtle Beach was certainly "MB" tail code . You may also find this interesting : http://www.facebook.com/#!/warthognews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleatussno Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 You all have been very helpful. The ideas and perspectives you have given me are very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachAV8R Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 You/he might be interested in this. I fly over to Myrtle Beach a few times a year in my job and the new FBO they have built incorporates a lot of the old squadron information in the design as a tribute. Here are some of the old Myrtle Beach stuff they have in display cases and mounted on the walls: http://www.mudspike.com/MB.zip Hope you find something of interest there.. I love the dry erase boards.. :) Regards, BeachAV8R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtaliaA1 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 As a gift I think you may want to take a look at these. Much more meaningful than a patch alone. This was a Boutique Builder iBuypower rig. Until I got the tinker bug again i7 920 @3.6Mhz 12Gig Corsair XMS3 ram 1600 Nvidia 760 SLi w/4Gig DDR5 Ram Intel 310 SSD HDD 160 Gb + Western Digital 4Terabyte HDD Creative SB X-Fi HD Audio Logitech X-530 5.1 Surround Speaker System Dual Acer 32"Monitors. PSU 1200 w Thermaltake Win10 64Bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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