60th U.S. Air Defense Artillery, Battery D of the 6th Battalion Guidon.
This wool, government made, issue guidon complies with the guidons size introduced for the U.S. Artillery Corps in 1931. It bears the insignia of the 60th Air Defense Artillery (ADA).
The 60th U.S. Field Artillery regiment was originally raised in Virginia and Washington DC for service during the First World War. In 1924 they were redesignated a Coast Artillery regiment and assigned to the fortress at Corregidor. After WWII, the fixed guns of the Coast Artillery were rendered obsolete by the frightful weapons of the Cold War and the 60th Artillery was redesignated an ADA unit in 1971.
From 1953 to 1979, the United States Army operated almost 300 Nike missile batteries as the penultimate line of defense against aircraft and missiles of the USSR. This U.S. Army Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot guidon was carried by Battery D, 6th Battalion, of the 60th Air Defense Artillery at one of these installations on the East Coast.
The guidon is a curiosity as the unit designation "60" and the battery letter "D" are in outlined only, the fabric having worn away, presumably from hard use, but the battalion numeral "6" remains intact. Further the date in the label inside the sleeve is dated 1959, but the unit was not redesignated as ADA until 1971, indicating perhaps that Battery "D" had been attached to an ADA installation several years prior to their redesignation.
Provenance: Acquired by purchase in 2010, at the Bay Area Militaria Show San Jose, California.
ZFC Noteworthy Flag
Sources:
60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Wikipedia, 20 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60th_Air_Defense_Artillery_Regiment_%28United_States%29
Air Defense Artillery, Wikipedia, 20 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Defense_Artillery
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
CSG
USAG
4March1921
