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59TH SIGNAL BATTALION, COMPANY "A" GUIDON.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
59TH SIGNAL BATTALION, COMPANY  A  GUIDON.
20" x 27" double applique white cotton insignia on orange 2-ply wool flannel field. Nontraditional materials in manufacture and possibly Alaska made where unit stationed and heavy flannel popular for cold weather. 59th Signal was not official till 1992 but has much longer Alaskan connections in its history. In 1870, Congress authorized the Army to establish weather stations in Alaska under the auspices of the new Army Weather Bureau. At its height there would be some 90 stations across Alaska Territory. In July 1891, the Army Weather Bureau was transferred to the Department of Agriculture. In May 1900, Congress allocated money to connect all military posts in Alaska. The new system was called Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). Completed in 1904, the system had 1400 miles of land telegraph lines and over 2000 miles of underwater cable linking to Seattle. In 1918 and again in 1927, two signal companies were activated to handle working the system. In 1936, with the high cost of keeping the cable repaired and the coming of wireless radio, the system was redesignated as the Alaska Communications System. The cable was not completely retired as it was secure for communications in World War Two and could not be eavesdropped upon by the Japanese who had seized two of Alaska's outer islands. By 1950, ACS had 32 sites across Alaska and the system remained under Army Signal Corps control until 1962 when the Air Force took control. More changes ensued when the Army formed its Strategic Communications Command in Arizona that would take charge of communications by Army units in the United States. In 1963, the 33rd Signal battalion formed under STRATCOM and in 1967 the 60th Signal Detachment formed. In 1969 the command was renamed STRATCOM Signal Group Alaska. In 1971 the microwave based system was sold to RCA and then operated under a public utility. The Army was still dependent on the systems and new units were raised and added to the two existing signal commands in addition to new units. Finally, in October 1992, the 1117th Signal battalion was reflagged as the 59th Signal Battalion. The battalion is based today at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The guidon is orange, which is the official color of the Signal Corps. The corps insignia of two crossed wig-wag signal flags is an homage to the corps creation during the American Civil War in 1863. CONDITION: very good to fine overall, minor loses & stains. (02-19473-50/JS). $200-300.