Headquarters Strategic Air Command Elite Guard
1960's SAC Elite Guardsmen.
3906 SSS SAC Elite Guard
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The SAC Elite Guard was established in December, 1956 to provide security at the headquarters, Strategic Air Command (SAC) as well as personal protection for the Commander and Vice Commander of SAC.
Established by order of General Curtis E. LeMay, the unit was initially known as Detachment “A” of the 3902nd Air Police Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base. The Elite Guard was formed under a signed order from General Curtis LeMay, who was instrumental in modernizing USAF security forces in general and the Strategic Air Command in particular. At the creation of the USAF in 1947, aircraft were normally guarded by security detachments formed from airdrome or air base squadrons. In many cases "guard duty" was a detail or extra duty and not a full-time job, often given out as punishment to underperforming personnel. Security and weapons training was minimal or nonexistent. During his initial inspection of the SAC strategic bomber fleet at Offutt Air Force Base in 1948, LeMay reported that at one hangar he found an Air Police sentry on duty "armed only with a ham sandwich". Despite these problems, LeMay continued to press for improvements in air base and SAC command security, and proposed the formation of an elite Air Police unit in charge of SAC command security at Offutt Air Force Base. In 1956, after the existing SAC Provost Marshal failed to act with sufficient dispatch in forming the new unit, LeMay replaced him, instituting changes in SAC security force structure that resulted in the creation of the Elite Guard in December 1956. The Elite Guards' mission was threefold. Primarily, Detachment “A” would be responsible to provide stringent security for the SAC Headquarters and its resources. The second portion of their mission was to provide personal protection for the Commander and Vice Commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and their assembled staff. It also had a third, ceremonial function: acting as an official Strategic Air command representative at military and civic functions requiring military unit participation, with an official drill team. In 1957 General LeMay, General Wade, and the Commander for the 3902nd Air Police Squadron personally selected and procured a distinctive uniform.[3] The initial summer uniform was a tan herringbone twill (khaki) trousers and shirts, which was changed in 1960 to a dark blue shirt and trousers. The winter uniform included a dark blue Eisenhower jacket. White silk scarves, blue canvas web belt with chrome buckle and SAC crest, a white lanyard on the right shoulder, white gloves, and black jump boots with white laces completed the unique Guard uniform. Instead of the then-standard .45 M1911 pistol, at General LeMay's insistence the Guardsmen were armed with a special bone-handled, chrome-plated .38-caliber revolver secured in a black leather, open-top, cross-draw holster. The new uniform included a blue serge wool beret with affixed SAC patch, making the Elite Guard the first Air Force unit authorized (from 1957 onwards) to wear the blue beret. The blue beret became the prototype for the headgear later introduced for wear by all Air Force security forces. Through the years, changes in Air Force dress standards necessitated changing the colors and combination of this unique uniform. While the drill team was disbanded in 1969, the guard’s primary mission continued with added responsibility for the monthly Changing of the Guard ceremony, funeral details, civic events and formal military functions. On March 1, 1980, the SAC Elite Guard separated from 3902nd Security Police Squadron and formed the newly activated 3906th Security Police Squadron. On April 1, 1980 the unit was redesignated the 3906th Special Security Squadron. With the standdown of the Strategic Air Command and the activation of US Strategic Command in 1992, the 3906th was deactivated and the 55th Security Forces took over security of US STRATCOM Headquarters. Unit History of the Sac Elite Guard The 3902nd Air Police Squadron was designated on 1 Sep 1948 and organized on 1 Oct 1948 at Offutt AFB; Detachment A of the 3902nd Air Police Squadron formed December 1956; The Squadron was re-designated 3902nd Combat Defense Squadron on 1 Jul 1960; Detachment A was renamed the "SAC Elite Guard" in May 1961; The Squadron was re-designated 3902nd Security Police Squadron on 2 Jul 1967; The SAC Elite Guard separated from 3902nd Security Police Squadron and formed the newly activated 3906th Security Police Squadron, 1 Mar 1980; The Squadron was re-designated 3906th Special Security Squadron on 1 Apr 1980; 3902nd Security Police Squadron inactivated on 1 Mar 1986; 3906th Special Security Squadron deactivated on 1 Jun 1992, with the stand down of the Strategic Air Command; The SAC Elite Guard renamed to STRATCOM Elite Guard, assigned to the 55th Air Base Wing, 55th Security Forces Squadron, with the activation of USSTRATCOM, 1 Jun 1992. (Sources - U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency, Strategic Air Command and Squadron Records) History provided courtesy of SAC Elite Guard Association |
SAC Elite Guard Painting History
The photo that started her search for the painting. Notice the painting hanging in the background.
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These pictures are of my father, Billy Davis. After my dad died, I found out many things about his military service that he never spoke about. He was a very humble man. I knew he spent time in Thailand during the Vietnam Nam war, but that was all. He served twenty years and was one of the founding members of the Air Force Elite Guard.
This oil painting of him was designed from this photo and hung in Headquarters Strategic Air Command (SAC) Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE where I was born. The artist kindly added the extra stripe my dad had earned after the photo was taken. (Miraculously, I now have this painting - quite a story in and of itself: shortly after learning about my dad's military history and accomplishments, the painting was found for sale on eBay by a collector who had had it in his garage for many years and decided to downsize. Just a few weeks before seeing it on eBay, I didn't even know it existed, or any of the stories. It now hangs in my home office.)
I'm also told that my dad's photo was used on recruiting brochures for the Air Force and that his uniform hangs in an Air Force museum.
My life has been significantly touched by many close and extended family members and friends who have served. These are some of my personal reasons for remembrance and gratitude to all who serve: past, present, and future.
Tammy Davis Dodd daughter of Billy Davis
The artist was Arthur Hayden, who was part of our mostly military team of artists and photographers who worked in the Central Office Of Presentations, located in the SAC Headquarters Building! He was a civilian who worked primarily in oils and created mostly renditions of various aircraft but whose skills extended to portraits.
John Derreck
This oil painting of him was designed from this photo and hung in Headquarters Strategic Air Command (SAC) Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE where I was born. The artist kindly added the extra stripe my dad had earned after the photo was taken. (Miraculously, I now have this painting - quite a story in and of itself: shortly after learning about my dad's military history and accomplishments, the painting was found for sale on eBay by a collector who had had it in his garage for many years and decided to downsize. Just a few weeks before seeing it on eBay, I didn't even know it existed, or any of the stories. It now hangs in my home office.)
I'm also told that my dad's photo was used on recruiting brochures for the Air Force and that his uniform hangs in an Air Force museum.
My life has been significantly touched by many close and extended family members and friends who have served. These are some of my personal reasons for remembrance and gratitude to all who serve: past, present, and future.
Tammy Davis Dodd daughter of Billy Davis
The artist was Arthur Hayden, who was part of our mostly military team of artists and photographers who worked in the Central Office Of Presentations, located in the SAC Headquarters Building! He was a civilian who worked primarily in oils and created mostly renditions of various aircraft but whose skills extended to portraits.
John Derreck
