"1st ACCS Nightwatch"

1 ACCS NIGHTWATCH 25 YEARS>
The 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACCS) of the 55th Wing operates the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch aircrafts as the National Emergency Airborne Command Post - NEACP). The first E-4A flew in October 1974 while the upgraded E-4B first entered service in early 1980. Apart from the regular 1st ACCS patch, a variety of NIGHTWATCH patches where made. This particular one commemorates the silver anniversary of Nightwatch operations in 1987. The same patch exists with "30 YEAR" on the bottom tab while the regular Nightwatch patch is disc shaped only without any tabs. The first NEACP aircraft was a special modified EC-135J known as SILVER DOLLAR and first flew on 1 March 1962. The patch was received by Andreas Hunold (MSgt, GEAF, ret.) from former 55th SRW member SrA Thomas Chevallier. Information covering the background of the 1 ACCS Nightwatch has been taken from Major (USAF ret) Greg Ogletree's ASMIC Trading Post article Spring 1994, pages 43-49.

About Andreas Hunold:Andy is a retired German AF MSgt, now working at the NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany as a local civilian and his hobby is the U.S. AIR FORCE! "I'm interested in just every USAF unit and I collect everything from fact sheets to base guides, photos and of course cloth patches! At present I have slightly over 10,000 USAF patches in my collection and quite a few from the 55th SRW."