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Welcome to the USAFPatches.com, the Internet's premier information source for United States Air Force (USAF) patches. USAFPatches.com is a private, non-commercial, not-for-profit website and is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the USAF.
Founded in March 1996 as the Air Force Patch Collectors Homepage, USAFPatches.com is the Internet's largest and oldest continuously operated website focused on USAF patch collecting. This website is dedicated to preserving the embroidered history of the USAF and serves as an educational resource for both the beginning and seasoned USAF patch collector. Most of USAFPatches.com may be accessed freely by guests, however, portions of the forum and gallery are restricted to registered users to avoid inappropriate postings and to deter image theft. Registration is simple and FREE and may be accomplished by following this link.
What is a patch? The Air Force defines a patch as "a cloth depiction of an emblem that can be affixed to a uniform"1. Emblems have been used by United States military aviation units since World War I to build esprit de corps. While they first appeared primarily on aircraft, emblems were later made into cloth or leather versions (patches) that were affixed to leather flight jackets and other uniform items. Some of the patches worn on the shoulders of Airman today originated during the early days of military aviation and are the same designs as the emblems that adorned World War I aircraft. Since 1923, official processes have been in place for USAF organizations to gain approval for their emblems. The Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), the organization charged with maintaining USAF organizational history and heraldry, currently has over 14,000 approved emblems on file. Many, but not all, of the emblems have been made into patches that have been sewn on uniforms, engine covers, helmet bags and the like. In addition to patches derived from officially approved emblems, there are tens of thousands of unofficial patches created by USAF members which range from the tame to the risque. Collectively, these patches are unique pieces of history that represent the men, women, organizations and equipment that are the USAF.
The centerpiece of this website is the Gallery which contains over 20,000 images of patches used by the USAF. The gallery is organized numerically and alphabetically by unit designations and is fully searchable. USAFPatches.com also features interactive forums where registered users can discuss and ask questions about USAF patches. In addition to the gallery and forums, the website has a wealth of reference material for the beginning and advance collector.
USAFPatches.com is focused primarily on USAF organizational and weapons system patches and does not cover scarves, nametags, wings, badges or rank insignia. Additionally the site is limited to patches used by the USAF only and does not cover patches from the other U.S. military services or foreign military organizations.
1. Air Force Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors, and Heraldry
This website is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the United States Air Force. Opinions and views expressed are those of the Webmaster (unless otherwise noted) and not necessarily those of the Department of the Air Force. Information appearing on this site is for reference/educational purposes only. Official U.S. Air Force emblems are protected by federal law; reproduction for commercial use or for profit is not permitted without express permission from the individual unit commander. Copyright 1996-2008 by R.M. Operhall, all rights reserved.
