Did you know the United States Air Force (USAF) was once part of the U.S. Army? It's true. Just as the Marine Corps is a part of the Navy, the Air Force was part of the Army until a Congressional act in late summer of 1947 made it separate branch of the military. Without a history as long and storied as the Navy and Army, good USAF memorabilia is hard to come by.
Thecheapplace.com carries a selection of Air Force patches dedicated to this wing of the military; from a simple black and white "Airborne" rocker patch to a circle patch bearing the official USAF logo. What's so great about these patches, as well as the rest of their military collection, is the fact that the real logos and seals can be used. Because they are part of the government, the images belong to the citizens of the U.S. and are therefore, in the public domain. So when thecheapplace.com comes up with a new design for a military service patch, it will look as authentic as anything issued by the services themselves.
If you're an Air Force vet, a member of the reserve, or part of the auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, you should get some of these patches. They wear well on a jacket, they make awesome gifts for veterans and military buffs, and they look cool. Sew them on; iron them on; whatever. They even look awesome in a display case with the rest of your Air Force or general military collection. What's more, Air Force patches are very reasonably priced at thecheapplace.com
If you're a patch collector, here's something you may not know: there were a bunch of authorized awards for various ranks and job functions that were carried over when the Air Force was separated from the Army. But the vast majority of those awards were not. Instead, they were deemed obsolete and taken out of service. All of the branches have their obsolete badges, but the Air Force seems to have more because of their circumstances. If you can ever get your hands on one, you've got something valuable.
Personally, I've always been a big fan if the Air Force. I couldn't join the military due to health issues, but if I could have, the fly boys would have been my choice. I love to fly, pure and simple. It's got to be awesome to pilot one of those U2 "Dragon Ladies" on a recon mission, knowing you can gather your data all day with nobody knowing you're around. Add to that the pure beauty and majesty of the skies - it doesn't get any better.
A few years ago, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced a plan to eliminate most of the Air Force's manned aircraft. Fortunately, that plan hasn't been realized; it would have been a real shame. So for know, the USAF continues its mission of gathering recon info and protecting the skies for the rest of the military service. "Nothing can stop the U.S. Air Force."
