USAF Patch Spt USAFE 819 RED HORSE Civil Engineering Squadron

USAF Patch USAFE 819 RED HORSE Civil Engineering Squadron Patch RAF Wethersfield England Cold War 1979 British made Embroidered on twill cut edge 80mm by 60mm three and one eighth inches by two and three eighth inches.

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819 Installations Squadron IS was activated at Abilene Texas on 15 June 1956 to construct maintain and upgrade air base runways and facilities and provide base firefighting and rescue services. 819 IS relocated to Dyess AFB and was redesignated 819 Civil Engineering Squadron and was inactivated on 25 June 1961. 

The Squadron was reactivated as 819 Civil Engineering Squadron Heavy Repair at Forbes AFB on 12 January 1966 and as a  Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer or RED HORSE Squadron to perform heavy equipment repairs bomb damage repair and other disaster recovery of installations where repairs were beyond base civil engineering capabilities and to support tactical force deployments and to provide heavy engineering for new or upgraded forward airfields and austere facilities in combat areas for tactical air force units.

The Squadron relocated to Ban Sattahip RTAFB Thailand 8 March 1966 before deploying to Phu Cat AB South Vietnam on 10 May 1966 responsible for the construction of the air base and its facilities in an undeveloped former Viet Cong training area classified as unsecured without recourse to any base support functions.  

819 RED HORSE relocated to Tuy Hoa AB Vietnam on 1 January 1970 to prepare the base for closure and on completion returned to Westover AFB in April 1970 after gaining many awards distinctions and battle steamers during its service in Vietnam. 819 RED HORSE relocated to McConnell AFB on 15 September 1973.  

819 RED HORSE was relocated to RAF Wethersfield England on 8 April 1979 to provide Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers RED HORSE capability for Europe responsible for runway and facility repairs extensions and heavy construction for USAFE during the intensification of the Cold War and rapid runway repair in the event of hostilities. The Squadron undertook a number of local small civilian projects including the removal and reinstallation of seven bells and a bell cage in the 11th century church in Finchingfield Essex in 1980 resulting in enhanced housing and community support for air force personnel. With the end of the Cold War and subsequent reduction in threat of battle damage to airfield installations the Squadron was inactivated on 31 August 1990. 

819 RED HORSE was reactivated at Malmstrom AFB MT on 2 June 1997 to be ready to fully deploy worldwide to carry out heavy repairs and construction in support of air power and to remain stationed for an indefinite amount of time.  

819 RED HORSE along with elements of 820 RED HORSE deployed to Central America in November 1998 to repair infrastructure damage caused by Hurricane Mitch. The Squadron deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base Saudi Arabia in October 2000 to upgrade a munitions road. 819 RH trained with the US Army and Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency to acheive an airborne parachute capability confirmed in February 2003. The Squadron qualified with MARES to enable approval for working on airfields around the world and completed large construction projects at several bases in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. 

This patch dates from 1979.