131st Fighter Squadron Mass Air National Guard A10 Patch

The 131st Fighter Squadron flew A-10 Thunderbolt IIs for the Massachusetts Air National Guard out of Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield — one of the oldest fighter units in the Guard.

Part of the 104th Fighter Wing, the 131st FS operated A-10s from Barnes from the 1980s through 2007, when the unit transitioned to F-15Cs. During their Warthog years, they deployed for Desert Storm in 1991 — among the first Air National Guard A-10 units to see combat. They went back to Southwest Asia for OIF rotations and continued flying CAS missions that kept pace with active duty squadrons. Barnes-based pilots built a reputation for precise gun employment: low, fast, and on target. The 131st's A-10 era produced crews who knew exactly what the aircraft could do and pushed it there.

If you flew with the 131st, turned wrenches on the Warthog flight line at Barnes, or crossed paths with Massachusetts Guard jets in the Gulf or Iraq, this patch marks that time. The shield design goes back to the unit's roots — you'd recognize it anywhere.

The 131st Fighter Squadron patch holds the A-10 chapter of a unit that has been flying fighters for generations. The stars across the top aren't decoration — they're the Massachusetts ANG's four-star heritage on one small piece of embroidery.

This embroidered patch measures 2.75 inches wide by 3 inches tall in a classic heraldic shield shape. The blue top band carries "MASS" on the left and "ANG" on the right, flanking four white stars. The shield body runs red and white vertical stripes with a black A-10 Warthog silhouette overlaid and crossed with bold gold lightning bolts. A gold scroll banner curves across the bottom reading "131ST FIGHTER SQUADRON" in black lettering.