COMMENTARY: Who are the 488th IS Airmen and what is their patch?

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Tyler Morton
  • 488th Intelligence Squadron Commander
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  If you've been on RAF Mildenhall long enough, you've seen the men and women of the 488th Intelligence Squadron and their renowned "Bat" patch, but have you ever wondered what these Airmen do and what their unit's patch signifies?

If you're unsure, that's okay, because for the majority of the squadron's existence no one talked about the unit or what it has accomplished.

The squadron grew up during the Cold War and its "bread-and-butter" was conducting sensitive reconnaissance operations to ensure the United States was prepared for potential threats. These missions were never discussed openly and only recently has limited information began to come out about what their predecessors - the Silent Warriors - accomplished during the Cold War.

After first arriving as Detachment 1 of the 6985th Security Squadron in August 1970, the unit has had a continual presence at RAF Mildenhall. Over the past 44 years, the unit's designator has changed several times - emerging as the 488th Intelligence Squadron in October 1993 - but its foundational purpose has remained the same.

Today through the missions it conducts aboard RC-135U Combat Sent and RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, the squadron enables decision advantage for NATO, allied forces, national decision-makers, and tactical warfighters through the rapid delivery of highly perishable intelligence. The squadron's Airmen - which include aircrew, cyber specialists, maintainers and support personnel - have been involved in nearly every combat action of the last half century.

In 2014 alone, the squadron's Airmen have a combined 5,300 deployed man-days and are consistently among the first to be sent forward when the nation's leaders need timely and actionable intelligence.

What about the 488th IS patch? What does it mean? The "Bat" patch is an essential piece of the squadron's legacy. It dates to the earliest days of Air Force airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and ties the squadron's current Airmen to those who came before.

Following World War II, several airborne units were established to conduct ISR; one of these was the 6988th Radio Squadron Mobile at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The original 6988th RSM conducted missions on RB-29 and RB-50 aircraft - modified bombers specially configured for ISR. The RB-29 and RB-50 pilots referred to the back of the aircraft as the "cave" due to the dark conditions in which the intelligence personnel worked and began to call the aircrew "Bats."

The name stuck. The bat became part of the unit's official patch and members of the squadron are still referred to as "Bats." The seven rays in the background of the patch are also significant as they symbolize the seven "Bats" who perished in the unit's very first RB-50 mission in 1952. The rays remind squadron members of the sacrifices of our predecessors and highlight the dangers associated with conducting airborne operations.

The "Bats" of the 488th IS are proud of its heritage and are happy to be part of Team Mildenhall. We are here to serve, "By day or by night!"