This is the insignia of the 254th Combat Communications Group, a unit that’s normally part of the Texas Air National Guard, but if federalized, becomes part of the Air Force Space Command. It’s been around since 1952 – that’s 10 years before the first Telstar communications satellite, and 8 years before Echo 1 bounced the first communication signals through space. Of course in 1952, this was called the 221st Radio Relay Squadron and operated out of Springfield, Ohio. It wasn’t until 1971 that it became the 254th Mobile Communications Group. Since then, it’s racked up a few firsts:
It was the first Air National Guard organization tasked to be the lead combat communications unit in a Joint Chief of Staff-directed exercise- BRAVE SHIELD 12 – and, in 1979 became the first ANG unit deployed to the European theater to provide communications support for a NATO series of exercises.
It’s also got a pretty keen emblem. It’s electric AND atomic. I wonder how the blazon reads….
From Wikimedia Commons’ Atom Symbols in Heraldry collection.