The 79FS is part of the 20FW at Shaw Air Force Base, SC. It operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force, with its origins dating to 22 February 1918. It was organized at Rich Field, Waco, TX, as a pilot training Squadron during World War I with the squadron seeing combat during World War II, and became part of the USAF in Europe (USAFE) during the Cold War. (From one of the creators): Black Border- a black border is reserved for the elite, the best of the best. The leaders that are the teachers to everyone. Yellow Background- signifies the sun, the brightness, that a Tiger Tamer brings to the family. 79th FS- The strong black font was chosen to symbolize the Strength and Tactical Excellence of the Tigers. Tiger Tamers- The Black Script is used to denote the fluidity that we each have to live this lifestyle. We are able to move our entire lives regularly, able to transition and make homes, new friends and create successful lives for ourselves every 2-3 years. The Jumping Tiger- symbolic of the Tiger Tamer, this fierce cat is leaping into the sky jumping onto the F16. We all took a leap of faith into this adventure and chose to sink our claws into our Tigers and love them! The Heritage Tail F-16- Symbolizes why we are all here, we are all supporting the mission- All For Freedom. We all love a Tiger! The use of the heritage tail is also used to represent that our stripes will never fade. No matter where our adventure leads us, or what we do along that journey we will always have our Tiger stripes, we will always be Tigers! Fierce and unstoppable! Courage to Love Fiercely- We each made a COURAGEous decision to LOVE our Tiger FIERCELY. We chose to love not knowing that our lives would be based on the unknown, we chose to love because it was the other half of our souls, we chose to love because it made us better humans. Making the choice to love takes courage and Tiger Tamers always strive to show LOVE to everyone. This is the yellow version of the “Tiger Tamers” bullet patch that says “COURAGE TO LOVE FIERCELY” (bottom), was found in a small Korean embroidery shop in very limited quantities, has the “in-theater-made” feel to it, and does not come with velcro attached.
