A2801

Department of the Air Force

50th Anniversary

Collins Family Service

“Three Generations” cachet 

Collins Cover Announcement 

United States Air Force

Three Generations Cachet

The subject matter for my hand-painted cachet for this issue was essentially a "no brainer." My dad, Fred Sr., was a B-17 crew member flying bombing missions out of England in World War II. It was the Army Air Corps then, and he was part of General Hap Arnold's Eighth Air Force.

In the 1960's, I followed in Dad's footsteps and joined the Air Force. During my tour of duty, I worked exclusively with the C-123 aircraft and crossed the Pacific to Vietnam in one - island hopping with stops at Hawaii, Midway, Wake, Guam, and the Philippines.

A few years ago, my son Tim enlisted in the Air Force, making him the third consecutive generation of the Collins family to do so. He is currently flying as a crew member of an AWACS plane which plays a vital current role in defense of our country and its vital interests. This cover is postmarked at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma which was Tim's first permanent assignment. Coincidentally, Tim's enlistment anniversary date happens to be September 18 which, amazingly, is the date of issue.

Since our family has spanned the full fifty years of the Air Force from before 1947 to beyond 1997, I thought that a Collins cover bringing it all together was a "must." It pictures the B-17 "Flying Fortress" of my father's era, the AWACS early warning, communications, and radar plane that Tim currently flies in, and the C-123 "Provider" that I logged so many hours in during the 1960's. This will certainly become a key cover and "must own" item in any Collins collection. The three planes that have soared into the "wild blue yonder" with each of us. The United States Air Force "Three Collins Generations" cachet. Item #A2801. $11.75.