ORGANIZATION AND INSTALLATION NAME HISTORY

The 45th Bombardment Group received no decorations during its active service in World War II, but it is credited with serving in the World War II Antisubmarine Campaign, American Theater of Operations. The Group’s original emblem (pictured here), approved on 6 January 1942, is a blue shield surmounted by a yellow border. Three aerial bombs, in yellow, symbolize the Group’s three flying squadrons and their antisubmarine warfare role. (The Group’s fourth flying squadron was assigned to the 45th after the emblem was proposed and put forward.) The Group’s motto, “DE ASTRA,” means “From the Stars”.

On 16 March 1951, the Long Range Proving Ground Division received official approval for the use of its emblem (left). A shield of azure blue was emblazoned with a long-range guided missile of argent silver, spouting a flaming tail of red and yellow hue. The blue represented the stratosphere and the guided missile, traveling with great speed and accuracy, denoted the mission of the Long Range Proving Ground Division.

On 30 June 1951, the Division was redesignated the Air Force Missile Test Center. No official action was taken with respect to changing or redesigning the emblem, but several unofficial variations (right) of the original emblem continued in use until a new emblem was approved for the Air Force Eastern Test Range on 19 July 1967.

Symbolizing the changes that had occurred on the Eastern Range over the previous 17 years, the new Air Force Eastern Test Range emblem (left) was a shield bordered in gold and divided into ultramarine blue and gold quadrants. Blue was used to symbolize the sky and space, and gold was used to symbolize the excellence required to conduct successful range operations.

Dividing the shield horizontally, across its right half, was a line of “Ts” representing continuous testing of space vehicles. In the center of the shield, a large aquamarine and light blue globe represented Earth. A smaller globe, in the same colors, symbolized the moon and other planets. Nine pimento red flight arrows indicated the normal equatorial departure routes for missiles and space vehicles on the Eastern Range. They also symbolized travel to other planets, as depicted by the smaller globe. Red was chosen for the flight arrows to indicate the stresses of launch and space flight and the heat of reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. A string of white “clouds” across the center of the large globe represented abnormal conditions weather and radiation with which range personnel had to contend. The cloud symbol was also interpreted as the string of radomes and theodolites located throughout the Eastern Range.

The Air Force Eastern Test Range’s emblem was used until the unit was inactivated on 1 February 1977. It was brought back into active use when the Eastern Space & Missile Center was activated on 1 October 1979. Only the scroll below the emblem (right) needed to be changed, but popular versions of the ESMC shield showed an unauthorized modification in the cloud symbol. Though there were several discussions about changing the emblem for the 45th Space Wing, the old AFETR shield continued as the Wing’s emblem with the “45th Space Wing” blazon attached. A new flag drawing, reflecting the revised blazon, was forwarded to the Wing on 1 October 1992.