shrapneldude Posted February 5, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 5, 2011 I was going through my patch bin here and found a lot of them have skulls on them. Though not all USMC, there is something kinda neat about them. Some are repro, or souvenir / veteran type patches, but they're pretty neat so I've begun a small side collection of skull patches. Wondering just how many US military patches, specifically USMC, but others as well, have a skull incorporated in their design. Please post your examples. Here's mine for starters: There's 2 Reproduction Mike Force patches, and an RT Delaware patch that's fake...couple aviation patches, the raider patch, some recon / sniper type stuff, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share #2 Posted February 5, 2011 So I guess this is another thing I'll be slowly accumulating for a while. If anyone has any to trade please let me know. Repros and non-reg patches are fine as this isn't for history as much as for the design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted February 5, 2011 Share #3 Posted February 5, 2011 That would take me forever, hehehe.... -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmCapp Posted February 6, 2011 Share #4 Posted February 6, 2011 Off the top of my head I can think of the winged skull of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment and the WWI 20th Infantry Division. The printed totenkopf you have shown there isn't technically U.S. but i have seen some U.S. stuff that borrows the design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfireguy Posted February 6, 2011 Share #5 Posted February 6, 2011 Fakes Made in Iraq. I like the skull patches myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted February 6, 2011 Share #6 Posted February 6, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted February 6, 2011 Had to pull that one out, huh? haha Gorgeous patch. Can I trade you my car for it? JimCapp -- That particular totenkopf deal was supposedly a Mike Force patch (it's a repro / fake either way) but a repro of a Mike Force from Vietnam. So it's US... just way heavy on the SS side of designs, more than the others that kinda look like the totenkopf from the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted February 6, 2011 Share #8 Posted February 6, 2011 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Jerry Posted February 6, 2011 Share #9 Posted February 6, 2011 2nd Div Rangers WWII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1 Posted February 6, 2011 Share #10 Posted February 6, 2011 here are some out of my collection -16th Special Operations Squadron AC-130H Spectre -16th Special Operations Squadron AC-130 Spectre -341st Operations Group Standardization Evaluation Team more -341st Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM Minutman) Standardization / Evaluation Division Evaluator -509th Fighter Interceptor Squadron -509th Tactical Fighter Squadron more - 512th Rescue Squadron - 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing Operation Desert Storm - 576th Flight Test Squadron Standardization / Evaluation Team Top Skull last one I can think of - 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron KC-10 Extender Crew Chief Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Grunt Posted February 6, 2011 Share #11 Posted February 6, 2011 7th Infantry Division (L) Recon/Scout Platoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1 Posted February 6, 2011 Share #12 Posted February 6, 2011 My Death Before Dishonor patches came off a 322nd Training Squadron dark blue honor graduate flight jacket. The one without the black background came off the back. both are generic patches and not specific to the 322nd. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kutzburg Posted February 7, 2011 Share #13 Posted February 7, 2011 Here is my 2 cents. Top one is I believe from the 101st Has a velco backing. The flash I believe to be a repro, sticker on back says "Tay Ninh Province PRU" The other seems to be a novelty patch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kutzburg Posted February 7, 2011 Share #14 Posted February 7, 2011 Try this again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeety556 Posted February 7, 2011 Share #15 Posted February 7, 2011 Here are a couple of mine...one of my favorites has a skull in it. Not hard to guess which one that is. 3rd Flying Training Squadron another... 576th Flight Test Squadron last one... VXE-6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted February 7, 2011 Share #16 Posted February 7, 2011 There are very few skulls to be seen in OFFICIAL and/or AUTHORIZED in Army and USAF insignia, because The Institute of Heraldry and the USAF Personnel center that handled emblems have a policy against "morbid" designs. This policy was in effect from sometime before the VN war era, and as far as I know is still valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted February 8, 2011 There are very few skulls to be seen in OFFICIAL and/or AUTHORIZED in Army and USAF insignia, because The Institute of Heraldry and the USAF Personnel center that handled emblems have a policy against "morbid" designs. This policy was in effect from sometime before the VN war era, and as far as I know is still valid. But there are dozens (hundreds perhaps?) of unofficial designs with skulls that are every bit as much a part of military history as those approved by the IOH. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted February 8, 2011 Share #18 Posted February 8, 2011 I meant no disrespect to unofficial emblems. They deserve love too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATCHRAT Posted February 8, 2011 Share #19 Posted February 8, 2011 here is a prettty nice AAF patch to add to the bunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share #20 Posted February 8, 2011 I meant no disrespect to unofficial emblems. They deserve love too. Aye, that they do indeed! Not a patch, but a new (unintended but hard to avoid) branch to this side-project collection, and of late, one of my favorite new collection pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Signor Posted February 8, 2011 Share #21 Posted February 8, 2011 Not able to post but here's a listing of various WW-2 USAAF units that had skulls and or skeletons in thier designs,13th Bomb Sqd, 23rd Bomb sqd,31st Bomb sqd,5th Bomb Grp,30th Bomb Sqd(post WW2),85th Bomb sqd,86th Bomb sqd,90th Bomb Grp,342nd Bomb Sqd,416th Bomb Sqd,365th Bomb Sqd,367th Bomb Sqd,423rd Bomb Sqd,375th Bomb Sqd,428th Bomb Sqd,386th Bomb Sqd,447th Bomb Sqd,490th Bomb Sqd,512th Bomb Sqd,527th Bomb Sqd,533rd Bomb Sqd,552nd Bomb Sqd,587th Bomb Sqd,400th Bomb Grp,64oth Bomb Sqd, 642nd Bomb Sqd,716th Bomb Sqd,730th Bomb Sqd,766th Bomb Sqd,816th Bomb Sqd,828th Bomb Sqd,308th Bomb Wing,71st Ftr Sqd,6th Pursuit/Ftr Sqd,3rd Ftr Sqd Commando,493rd Ftr Sqd,4th Ftr Sqd,15th Ftr Sqd,42nd Ftr Sqd,310th Ftr Sqd,416th Night Ftr Sqd,89th Ftr Sqd,92nd Ftr Sqd,95th Ftr Sqd,319th Ftr Sqd (All Weather),346th Ftr Sqd,359th Ftr Sqd,361st Ftr Sqd,363rd Ftr Sqd,392nd Ftr Sqd,402nd Ftr Sqd(2 types),509th Ftr Sqd,(2 types),348th Night Ftr Sqd,27th Ftr sqd-5th Grp Chinese AF,24th Observation sqd/33rdPhoto Recon Sqd,97th Observation/Tactical Recon Sqd,// USN-USMC types, VF-10,VF-17,VF-20,VF-16A,VF-35,VF-82,VF-74A,VBF-6,VBF-17,VBF-83,VBF-95,VT-38,VT-43,VB-10,VB-8,VB-20,VS-912,VMO-5VMF-113,VMF-124(2nd design),VMF-214 "Swashbucklers",VMF-225(2nd Design),VMF-471,VMF-514,VMF(N)-531,VMSB/VMTB-233,VMSB-244,VMSB-334(proposed),VMB-613,VMB-621,VA-12(postwar)VA-34 (postwar),VF-151(postwar),VA-155(postwar),Atkron-304(postwar), these are just a "few" that I know of . Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveP Posted February 9, 2011 Share #22 Posted February 9, 2011 85th Test & Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, FL. They fly F-15s and F-16s for various armament testing...BTW, this is their official patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67Rally Posted February 9, 2011 Share #23 Posted February 9, 2011 Here's a patch we had made for our '88 deployment on the CG-49 - this was for the CIC team: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted February 11, 2011 Share #24 Posted February 11, 2011 Here are some period made , mostly hand made Vietnam SF/Recon patches. All have some sort of skull motif. This is one of my all time favorite Vietnam era novelty patch using the lyrics from the song War by Edwin Starr. There are other little messages in the patch like the letters HHA or the letter B and V and what looks like some pattern in the camo around the ace card . If anyone knows the meaning of any of this , let me know. Regards, Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted February 11, 2011 Share #25 Posted February 11, 2011 Gotta love the skulls!....heres a cap i picked up recently ....thanks to some helpful forum members Ive learned what the letters mean (Aircraft Maintenance Department Quality Assurance) but Im not sure what the skull and crossbones is for, does anybody know if its the squadren or for the Atsugi airbase in Japan?.....thanks...mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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