{"product_id":"official-vq-3-e-6-pen-tab-patch","title":"Official VQ-3 Ironmen E-6 Pen Tab Patch","description":"\u003cp\u003eOfficial VQ-3 E-6 Pen Tab Patch - Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 (VQ-3) Ironmen Boeing E-6B Mercury TACAMO Official Embroidered Pen Tab Patch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIronmen identity, nuclear deterrence heritage, and around-the-clock mission commitment captured in one official embroidered pen tab.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 stood up on 1 July 1968 from a TACAMO detachment that had been operating since 1963, first at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, and later from Guam. The Ironmen flew the EC-130G and EC-130Q Hercules before transitioning to the Boeing E-6A Mercury in 1989 and 1990, then relocated to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma in 1992, where the squadron remains today. Aircraft were upgraded to the E-6B standard beginning in 1998, adding battle staff positions and an Airborne Launch Control System that extended the mission beyond submarine communications to full strategic command post operations. The E-6B provides survivable airborne Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications for the President, Secretary of Defense, and U.S. Strategic Command, using very low frequency trailing wire antennas up to five miles long to reach submerged ballistic missile submarines. The Ironmen nickname reflects the relentless, around-the-clock pace of a mission that never pauses. A pen tab patch tied to this squadron and airframe carries the weight of that continuous deterrence posture, making it a meaningful piece for anyone connected to the TACAMO community, strategic communications, or Navy nuclear command and control history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: VQ-3 Ironmen veterans and alumni, E-6B Mercury aircrew and maintainers, TACAMO community members, Strategic Communications Wing One sailors, Tinker Air Force Base unit collectors, Navy nuclear command and control historians, flight suit and gear bag displays, shadow boxes, reunion gifts, and anyone building a serious Navy strategic aviation patch collection around deterrence, airborne command post operations, and the long lineage of fleet air reconnaissance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIronmen heritage, stitched into every mission, every watch, and every mile of wire trailing through the sky.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Military, Law Enforcement and Custom Patches by USMCinsignia.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510807466093,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/9831\/files\/3093692A_C22A0B20.FE9CA26A00000000.jpg?v=1790354630","url":"https:\/\/marinepatches.com\/products\/official-vq-3-e-6-pen-tab-patch","provider":"MarinePatches.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}