Cadet Squadron 2
From USAFA Folklore
| Cadet Squadron 2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nickname: | Deuce |
| Previously known as: | |
| Year Activated: | 1955 |
| Deactivated: | |
| Reactivated: | |
| Squadron Greeting: | Loose Deuce |
| Previous Patches: | |
| 1967-72 |
| 1959-66 |
Cadet Squadron 2
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Deuce
Second Squadron has gone by several names, depending on the attitude and feel of the squadron at the time. The squadron has been called Mach Two, Loose Deuce, Tough Two, Delta House, and simply Deuce. One might see the symbols delta, tau, and the roman numeral two on several murals and sometimes in the greeting from four degrees in the squadron. The symbols mean "change tough two," and come from when Deuce was called Tough Two and had a reputation for being overly stract. Since the lettering appears similar to a greek fraternity house, the squadron has adopted a familial atmosphere with a penchant for fun and hijinks. This similarity led to the squadron being called "The Delta House," a reference to the movie Animal House. The squadron prides itself on its family environment and strives to keep the squadron "loose" and carefree while still getting the job done effectively. The name "Loose Deuce" comes from the easy going attitude this mentality created.
[edit] Squadron Mentality
When squadron morale is high, the members of Deuce are usually very productive and excel in most tasks. As long as everyone buys into the family mentality, everything is done for the good of Deuce, not for recognition or high scores. Like many families, it can become dysfunctional at times especially when selfish individuals abuse the trust of their compatriots, if people lose sight of squadron morale, or things become too task oriented. Sometimes the four degrees are treated like brothers, when they really should be more like the children of the family. Usually, these "Deucelings' are disciplined and trained just like in a good family unit, with fairness and concern, but also with toughness and strict discipline. The style of training can waver as it does in many squadrons from rewards based to punishment based, until it reaches a happy medium of both with good motivation used to get them to buy into the system. In the family environment, many small infractions are ignored or dealt with "in house." This helps build trust between it's members, though can lead to the toleration of bigger things on occasion. That being said, most members of Deuce ideally want to help each other, not tattle, so many offenses are handled in the lowest, most personal levels unless an action truely warrants the attention of the higher ups.
This "Loose Deuce" or "Delta House" mentality is typical tradition for the squadron and has led to both great success and great failure, though good can still be gleaned from these bad failures. Through it all though, most "Deucebags," as some call themselves, are very close and make lifelong friends with each other due to their deep bonds and shared experiences, of which there are many.
[edit] Patch Heraldry
(Taken from www.usafa.af.mil, which in turn was compiled from P. Michael Sheridan, Squadron Insignia of the United States Air Force Academy)
[edit] Current Patch
The patch is a large circular emblem with a thin silver border. A banner inscribed with the word "DEUCE" sits on top of the circle. From a white contrail on a black field emerges the Roman numeral II. A red and blue contrail, produced by two jet aircraft frame the white contrail. The red, white and blue contrails represents the colors of the American flag. The "II" identifies the Second Cadet Squadron. The black background signifies the vastness of space. The planes originating from the top of the field denote humanity’s conquest of space. The three contrails represent the three areas in which all cadets strive to excel: military, academics, and athletics.
[edit] Previous Patches
| Cadet Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year | First Group | 01 · 02 · 03 · 04 · 05 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 10 |
| Second Group | 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 | |
| Third Group | 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 | |
| Fourth Group | 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 | |
| Summer | Basic Cadet Training Group | A · B · C · D · E· F · G · H · I · J |
| Other Summer Units | Comp Gp · CST · GE · Ops Group · SERE | |
