USAF / 405th FW Base Flt / Clark AB / HH-3E / Jolly Green Giant

405th Fighter Wing
Base Flight

The shield of the Base Flight is the comic strip Andy Capp is flying a magic carpet, with Mount Pinatubo in the background.

The 405th TFW was based at Clark AB, Philippines & had a base flight attached to the Wing, (with the main Wing operating the F-4 Phantom II) which operated three HH-3’s two C-118’s & either two or three C-123K’s, in addition to six T-33’s for pilot training. The HH-3’s were operating pre 1972, however I’m unaware when the Jolly Green Giants actually arrived. I use the term Jolly Green Giant as they flew the HH-3, in a support mission, which was different to the traditional CSAR missions the Jolly Green Giants flew, however they did perform some relief missions in the local area, support the jungle survival school & outposts that were based in the Philippines. The mission of the Flight was a 7 day a week schedule (unlike the ARRS crews) & flew VIP & courier flights to the US Embassy in the capital Manila, Subic Bay. They also transferred all of the bank money from Manila to Clark, supplied several mountain top radar sites & had weekly flights to John Hay AB in Baguio, which was reportedly to keep their bars supplied with booze. However their biggest mission was the 6 day a week schedule in support of the USAF Jungle Survival School, which was based at Clark.

Crews loading flood relief food onto a Base Flight HH-3. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Schell)
 
Andy Capp is a British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe, seen in the British daily newspapers The Daily Mirror & The Sunday Mirror newspapers since 5 Aug 1957.
&y is a working-class figure who never actually works, living in Hartlepool, a harbour town in County Durham, in northeast England. The title of the strip is a pun on the local pronunciation of "handicap"; & the surname "Capp" signifies how Andy's cap always covered his eyes along with, metaphorically, his vision in life.
Andy's hobbies & activities include pigeon racing, darts, snooker (his cue's name is "Delilah"), playing football (which always involves fights with the other players, & frequently ends with &y being sent off), occasional cricket & rugby, betting on horses (& usually losing badly), getting drunk in the local pub (often falling into the canal & being fished out by a constable, & usually arriving home late as a result), ending up in the local jail, fishing (& not catching anything bigger than a goldfish), unsuccessfully mooching money from everyone for beer, unsuccessfully flirting with barmaids (also yelling at them when he is not served), attempting to pick up (mostly young) bargirls (& being rejected usually due to his age), loafing & napping on the sofa, playing poker (& usually cheating with hidden cards, although plainly seen by the readers), & fighting with his long-suffering wife Florrie (also known as "Flo"), as well as being served burnt food by her.
Andy's iconic checked cap is always pulled down over his eyes, even when he is napping or bathing. He is often unshaven, frequently intoxicated (indicated by a prominent red nose & dishevelled clothing), lazy, freeloading, belligerent, & confrontational, but just as frequently lovable (he always refers to Flo as "pet").
The strip takes place almost exclusively in one of three locations: the pub, the street, or inside the Capps' residence at 37 Durham Street (generally with Andy on the couch & Flo yelling from the next room).
 
Luzon Floods 1974
During August 1974, Luzon (one of the northern Islands in the archipelago of the Philippines) had rains that flooded the area & left 78 people dead and more than a million homeless in central Luzon.
Thirteen of the 24 provinces in Luzon, the largest and most important of the Philippine Islands, were inundated in week‐long monsoon rains. The HH-3’s from the 405^th Base Flight were called in to airlift vital supplies to the local population.

This was taken by a team from the Stars & Stripes & shows the Base Flight helping the locals through the utter devastation of the floods.

A couple of photos from the HH-3 of a support flight. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Schell)

Once again a huge thanks to Kelly Schell for the information & pictures, they are absolutely superb.

If you have any additional information about this patch please contact me & I´ll get back to you.

Thanks👣