9th SRW

			The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated on May 1st 1949at Fairfield-Suisan( present day Travis ) AFB the wing inherited the 9th Bombardment Groups lineage and honours. The 9th SRW was equipped with the SR-71 Blackbird in 1966 with the 1st SRS and 99th SRS with the 99th deactivating in 1971 only to rejoin in July 1976 as a U-2 unit when the assets of the 100th SRW were amalgamated into the 9th SRW. Following de-activation of the SR-71 in 1990 the 9th was re-designated the 9th Wing for a brief period before the taking the present title of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing operating the U-2. Patch Origins Shield: Per pale vert and sable a pallet wavy argent fimbriated, Or, over all on a fess of four crosses patee of the second (sable). Crest: On a wreath of the colours (argent and vert) a rattlesnake entwined about a prickly pear cactus all proper. Motto: Semper Paratus (Always Ready). Significance: The shield, in black and green, represents the old colours of the Air Service parted by a wavy line representing the Rio Grande River. On the gold band are four black crosses representing four WWI offensives, Aisne-Marne, Champagne-Marne, Meusse-Argonne, and St. Mihiel, in which squadrons later assigned to the 9th Wing fought. The crest recalls the service in Mexico.
9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING	9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING	9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING
R GIROUARD	I HAVE IT	WANTED

9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING	9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING	9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING
WANTED	WANTED	I HAVE IT

9th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE WING	9th SRW STAN/EVAL
WANTED	WANTED


1st STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON
I HAVE IT

99th STRAT RECON SQDN	99th STRAT RECON SQDN	99th STRAT RECON SQDN	99th STRAT RECON SQDN
I HAVE IT	I HAVE IT	I HAVE IT	I HAVE IT
	The patch to the left was worn on 1 Aug 80 By Stormy Boudreaux as he was the mobile for the landing of the first TR-1 (later U-2R) aircraft 065 that General Wier (USMC retired) LM test pilot delivered from the factory for the inauguration of the U-2/TR-1 Training squadron, which prior to that had been called a flight within the 99th SRS and later as the “school house” was broken out of the 99 Sq, it was known as the U-2 RTU (or Replacement Training Unit).
4029th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE TRAINING SQUADRON			4029th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE TRAINING SQUADRON
1st 4029th patch designed by Stormy Boudreaux			2nd 4029th patch designed by Sq Cmdr’s wife, Pam Schreiber
I HAVE IT			I HAVE IT


STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND	5th STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE TRAINING SQUADRON		SENIOR CROWN
I HAVE IT	I HAVE IT		C LANGSTON WANTED


I have heard rumours that the 3+ Diamond was originally designed with the text 3.2 and not 3+ and that the higher ups disapproved as it gave away tech info on the aircrafts performance so below is the info from the designer of the patch Col Jim Watkins (SR-71 Pilot) and my thanks to Col David Dempster his RSO for chasing this info for me. No, there never was 3.2 on it. His original design was 3+ and that never changed. Realize that Jim, stationed at Beale AFB in the KC-135Q Squadron, had an Oxcart Clearance and flew early refueling missions of the A-12. So he had first hand exposure to the Blackbird and it's shape. In March, 1965, when I arrived at Beale with the group of 8 of us ( 4 B-58 pilots and 4 B-58 navigator-bombardiers ) who were to be the Instructor Cadre at Beale, Jim had moved to the SR side of the aisle (4200th SRW) and was the DO of the 4201 SRS, Hoss Griner was the 4201 SRS Commander at that time and Jim was being groomed to enter the SR-71 pilot pool and checkout ( he and Col. Douglas T. Nelson, who selected all of us, had become close at Area 51 and at Beale ) In 1965, with his A-12 experiences, Jim started designing the patch.
			SR-71 3+WHITE EDGE 5 1/4 inches tall
			R Troutman- WANTED
Bill Campbell, who later became a 3-star Lt. General, was stationed at Edwards AFB in the Test Pilot School and had been selected by Doug Nelson to enter the SR program, and would frequently call Jim at the Squadron wanting to know how things were going, getting any updates he could and talked with Jim about a lot of things. Jim didn't tell me how the patch ( still being designed ) subject came up with Bill Campbell, but Bill sent to Jim, "Schlieren" wind tunnel photos of a mach 3 test object and - BOOM - that did it and gave Jim the final shaping he had been struggling with in the patch design. Thus the 3+ patch was born in early 1966.

Jim said everyone in the Squadron and Wing liked it and so the design was sent to Japan on a KC-135 from Beale that was on a non-Blackbird mission with the request to have 50 of them made in a sew shop there. They did and returned them back to Beale.

SR-71 3+	SR-71 3+ Small patch
R Troutman WANTED	R Troutman WANTED

SR-71 3+WHITE EDGE	SR-71 3+WHITE EDGE No 3+	SR-71 3+ BLACK EDGE SMALL	SR-71 3+ SR-71
R GIROUARD	R GIROUARD	I HAVE IT	R GIROUARD WANTED

SR-71 3+ RED EDGE	SR-71 3+ BLACK EDGE	SR-71 3+WHITE EDGE	SR -71 3+ SIMULATOR
I HAVE IT	WANTED	I HAVE IT	I HAVE IT


436th STRAT TNG SQ		436th STRAT TNG SQ	436th STRAT TNG SQ
I HAVE IT		C LANGSTON WANTED	I HAVE IT