United States Air Force Crest Patch - Military Service Mark

Count the stars on this patch and you get thirteen, with three of them set apart at the top. In Air Force heraldry the thirteen stand for the original colonies. The three at the top stand for the three military departments of 1947, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. That grouping dates the design to the year the National Security Act made the Air Force its own department. This is the patch for the whole service rather than one wing or squadron, and it fits anyone who wore Air Force blue, for one enlistment or a full career.

The National Security Act was signed into law on 26 July 1947, and President Truman approved this eagle-and-shield design on 1 November 1947. The bald eagle at the top is the symbol of the United States and, in Air Force usage, of air striking power. Under it, the cloud formation stands for the creation of a new firmament. The shield carries a heraldic thunderbolt, Jupiter's bolt in old mythology, with a pair of wings and smaller lightning flashes around it for striking power through the air. The wavy line across the shield is a nebuly line, the heraldic way of drawing clouds. Airmen see the same eagle and shield on flags, plaques, coins and certificates for an entire career.

This one is a 3 by 3 inch circle finished with a gold merrowed edge and an iron-on backing. A white ring carries UNITED STATES across the top and AIR FORCE along the bottom in black block letters. Inside a thin gold line, the navy disc holds the thirteen white stars. The brown eagle, white-headed with its wings spread, stands on a wreath of light blue and white cloud above a pale blue shield. The gold thunderbolt on the shield is stitched with its wings and flashes clear enough to read at arm's length.

Air Force careers run through hundreds of specialties: crew chiefs, air traffic controllers, medics, intelligence analysts, cops, cooks, loadmasters and pilots. The eagle and thunderbolt are the one mark every one of them shares. Someone who did four years at a single base and someone who did twenty-plus years with a move every few assignments both carried it. It went on the paperwork at enlistment and on the certificate at retirement. This patch is that common ground, in thread.

Frame it in a shadow box with a retirement flag, ribbons and the stripes you wore, or put it on a jacket, vest or range bag. It is also a good gift for a son or granddaughter shipping out to basic training, or for a parent who served. The iron-on back makes it easy to put on, and a few stitches around the edge will keep it there. Thirteen stars, one service.