Posted on 08/08/2015 9:01:55 AM PDT by FunkyZero
Hopefully I'm posting this correctly in general chat...
My dad has always talked about his service in very general terms, but lately is opening up a little more. He's the humble type.
Anyway, he has always talked about how he wanted a certain hat that they had and I've given up on ever finding one so I want to make one from parts and surprise him with it.
I have been searching for a long time trying to find the correct patch, but I'm coming up empty unless I buy a lot of 500 from a custom shop. Do any of you know a good source for the more obscure squadron patches?
The one I need is 35th TAS, Naha. He was stationed there from around 66 through 69 or so. The patch depicts a donkey dragging a parachute with a lightning bolt through it. The hat was green, had the center patch, one side of the hat was embroidered "C-130 NAHA", the other side said "Haulin' Ass" on it. I'm pretty sure I got the basic details correct, but the patch is the hard part. I'll even pay ridiculous money for an original if I have to and can find one, I'd do anything for the guy. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. It would make his day if I could cough something up and surprise him... hell, he'd probably ask to be buried with it.
Did you think about contacting the squadron itself, if it still exists? Even if someone there doesn’t have one, he might be able to direct you to someone who does.
I was there at Kadena during that time but I was AFCS....I don’t recall ever having seen that patch, but Naha was a few miles away from where I was. During my time at Kadena, they ran 52s (for a short while I was there) and then KC135s, some fighters and a flight of Habus....
See this site:
http://www.c-130hercules.net/forums/topic/2480-35th-tas-patch/
You might try chasing-down someone on that site (for example) to see if they know anyone who has a spare.
Yup, that’s the one.
I’m sorry to sound stupid, but when it comes to this, I am. How would one go about contacting them? I don’t like asking someone to hold my hand, but even most of the terminology is foreign to me so I’m driving blind here. Are you suggesting I actually call the USAF and find that squadron? Don’t laugh at me... I’m trying my best :-). In case you can’t tell, I’m not a military guy.
Can’t help with that particular patch, but they do have some pretty good related stuff here.
http://store.amcmuseum.org/collections/coins-patches
I imagine what you’re looking for will probably turn up on eBay from time to time. There must be a way you could get an alert if one turns up.
I’ll give that a shot. Thanks for the pointer
As another poster stated, you could have one custom made, but it costs more money, and they would need a graphic file, something from Adobe Illustrator or a JPG or a TIFF file.
If you want to go that direction, find a place that will do it, send them the jpg off the internet like the ones posted here, get a quote to see if you can do the cost, but they will probably want a better quality one.
I do this kind of stuff for fun, and if you need an illustrator file or jpg that is higher quality, I could try to help you out by reproducing it for you at higher quality in Illustrator.
I would do it for a fellow Freeper who cares about what his dad did.
Looks like there was one up on EBay:
But apparently it sold already for $93.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/320933434528?item=320933434528&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true
Keep looking and good luck!
FZ, the patches might have been produced locally on Okinawa. There were some sewing shops that custom-made shoulder/cap patches and big ones for jackets.
Speaking of the 71s, we used to see them sometimes when they were coming in to land at Kadena after a morning stroll over China and SE Asia.
Must have really frustrated the indigeneous air defenses that they could not bag one like they did the Taiwan piloted U2s.
Always due west and back. Straight out of sight. Climbed high and fast.
Returning, one fast plunge 360 and down.
That’s the way I understand it, that obscure stuff came from the locals who would sell or make about anything for cash. I did see that one sold on ebay some time back and I missed it.
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