6, 1945, a city died, and 70,000 of its inhabitants. Properly wearing and displaying the wing emblem enhances our esprit de corps and unit identity. A fter the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. Nagasaki-shi (Japan) > History > Bombardment, 1945 > Historiography. Members of the 509th are indeed the inheritors of a proud legacy. History wars : the Enola Gay and other battles for the American past. The atomic cloud burst represents the historic drops of two atomic bombs in wartime, and its current use of atomic power as a deterrent to war and defender of peace.įinally, the eldest son symbol (the red tripod) shows that the wing is the oldest atomic-trained military unit in the world. The 509th's motto, "Defensor Vindex" (Translated: Defender avenger) means that its mission was, and remains, to protect and retaliate for any infringement on that peace. Wings with an official motto are required to display it in the scroll of their emblem. The 509th obtained special permission to display the wings in this configuration to show that it, too, comes in peace. When the ancient Greeks approached a stranger, they raised their arms with the palms outward to show they were carrying no weapons-a sign of peace. Each symbol on the shield represents some part of our unique past.įirst, the Air Force wings represent the branch of service but the wings are not in the familiar outstretched position. The shield is like a family coat of arms and uses symbols to tell its story. Since 1952, the 509th has proudly displayed its one and only official heraldic device-the wing emblem (or patch).