iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Share #1 Posted December 25, 2012 So I was at my grandads the other day, he gave me a hat. Its an old bush hat, with a bunch of patches on them. 2 of the patches I've searched and searched for, but have not been able to find. Ill post pics, The first 2 will be the patches I don't recognize, the rest will just be of the awesome hat lol. I'm going to try and find out more from him, but in the meantime, I figured maybe someone on here would know something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 25, 2012 Share #2 Posted December 25, 2012 The patch says "Go to hell" and "Short timer'...these hats are called boonies, cowboys, and "Go to hell" hats...I've got a friend who was Air Force Red Horse at DaNang and he still has his hat, and always refers to it as his "Go to hell" hat.....as you can ascertain from the other patches, it was worn by a member of a B-52 bomber squadron at U-Tapao, Thailand.....it's a very cool hat! Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted December 25, 2012 I actually did know he was on the bomber squad, he was a navigator. Like I said, I'm gonna give him a call within the next couple days and get as much out of him as I can. Really, all I know is that he was a B-52 navigator, and was Lt. Col. at retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted December 25, 2012 Share #4 Posted December 25, 2012 The first patch is the Snoopy character from the comic strip Peanuts. Part of his story line was he would pretend that he was a WWI flying ace fighting the Red Baron, with his dog house as his Sopwith Camel. The character was a favorite of USAF personnel, and there are numerous patches featuring Snoopy all geared up. This is not a unit patch, but what is called a novelty patch. The vendors making patches in Asia would make up anything that was requested. This design was fairly common. Overall your Grandfather's hat is a very nice item, intact with all of it's patches, and specific to a given time period. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted December 25, 2012 Share #5 Posted December 25, 2012 Hang On Snoopy, Snoopy Hang On Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted December 25, 2012 The first patch is the Snoopy character from the comic strip Peanuts. Part of his story line was he would pretend that he was a WWI flying ace fighting the Red Baron, with his dog house as his Sopwith Camel. The character was a favorite of USAF personnel, and there are numerous patches featuring Snoopy all geared up. This is not a unit patch, but what is called a novelty patch. The vendors making patches in Asia would make up anything that was requested. This design was fairly common. Overall your Grandfather's hat is a very nice item, intact with all of it's patches, and specific to a given time period. Thanks for sharing. That's really cool to know. I had actually seen a ton of the Snoopy patches, just none like this, so I was really curious lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted December 25, 2012 Share #7 Posted December 25, 2012 Great hat but I have to say CURSE YOU RED BARON !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted December 25, 2012 Great hat but I have to say CURSE YOU RED BARON !! KFC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted December 25, 2012 Share #9 Posted December 25, 2012 "Curse you Red Baron" was Snoopy's line every time he got shot down by the Red Baron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Signor Posted December 25, 2012 Share #10 Posted December 25, 2012 That is a "Snoopy" version I've not seen, it could "possibly" be Squadron related or Wing related , usually he was either wearing his leather helmet w.goggles or no helmet, on this patch he appears to be wearing a "Bone Dome" , just my opinion............................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted December 25, 2012 I'll be seeing my grandad tomorrow, I'm gonna have him tell me everything lol. I've never really been interested in it, until he gave me the hat, and now I wanna know everything about him, what plane he was on, squad, ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iolpiolp8 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted December 25, 2012 Side note: I really love the Thailand flag metal pin, I have yet to see any like it that aren't cloth. Question, what does the stamped "7" mean on the inside? Is that just the hat size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikar Posted December 25, 2012 Share #13 Posted December 25, 2012 I'd forgotten about those patches. Many maint. guys would wear them on their hats when they were off duty. I haven't seen one in years, and it's in very good shape. The vendors would sometimes be set up near the edge of the flightline near a common use building like the post office or the terminal where people would get ready to leave. There were a few shops set up near the barracks that did uniform but you could also get them downtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted December 25, 2012 Share #14 Posted December 25, 2012 Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted December 25, 2012 Share #15 Posted December 25, 2012 Side note: I really love the Thailand flag metal pin, I have yet to see any like it that aren't cloth. Question, what does the stamped "7" mean on the inside? Is that just the hat size? The "7" is the hat size. By the way, there is a reason that the inside of the hat is that bright red or orange. In theory, it could be used as a signal device if stranded on the ground. Supposedly the unnatural color would stand out amongst the green of the jungles, grasslands and forest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikar Posted December 26, 2012 Share #16 Posted December 26, 2012 It's either that or they happen to have that particular color material available at the time. I never had a bush hat with an interior color other than green or cammoflage. On top of that, very few if any personel would be wearing that type of hat off base on official duties. About the only one who would might be E.O.D., Red Horse, or Town Patrol. They might be worn around base by the maint. guys, but not too many wore them downtown that I remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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