Subdued – US Air Force Airman 1st Class Sew On Patch Pair A1C 1986-1992
Iron on/glue on/sew on military embroidered patch. Replica military patch. Subdued colored patch. Pictured on patch: Blue double stripes on the left and right side, and a subdued colored star in the center of the patch. USAF – United States Air Force patch. Purchase is for two patches. US Air Force enlisted rank insignia. NATO Code: OR-3. Patch can be used by both military personnel and the general public. Ideal for parades, war re-enactments, fashion, etc.
From 1947 to 1952, this rank was known as an Air Force corporal, and from 1952 to 1967 it was called an Airman Second Class. Because of their two stripes, Airmen First Class are often nicknamed “Dragonfly Wings.”
Airman 1st Class (A1C) is the third enlisted rank (E-3) in the United States Air Force, just above Airman and below Senior Airman. The rank of Airman First Class is considered a junior enlisted rank, with the noncommissioned officers (NCO) and senior noncommissioned officers (SNCO) above it.
Promotion to A1C occurs upon one or more of the following: 10 months time in the grade of Airman (or earlier for airmen with specific specialties), completion of three years of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) sponsored by any of the four wings of the service, completion of two years of college-level Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), earning the General H. H. “Hap” Arnold Achievement in Civil Air Patrol, completion of 45 or more college credit hours, or agreeing to an extended-length enlistment (normally at least six years).
