Well, this is my first post for years! Blimey, where does the time go?
I have some patches for sale that my American friend, Travis, designed and produced for various U.S units, Air Force, Marines, Navy & Army. All patches come with velcro, unless otherwise stated.
If anything takes your fancy please PM me.
All the photos have the price on it. P&P is £2 extra for UK mainland. If outside the UK, please PM so I can check for postage costs.
1) “Hellen” 487th Bomb Group (Heavy) – Gentlemen From Hell Set.
The "Gentlemen From Hell" of the 487th were part of the US Army Air Corps 8th Air Force - operating out of Lavenham, Suffolk in England during WWII. These are rare. The patch, sticker and button were created in small numbers. It is unknown if reorders will be placed.
487th BG (H) set by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr2) HEY TREASON – BRRRRRT!
Once upon a time, a two-star US Air Force general told more than 300 Airmen attending a Tactics Review Board that they would be "committing treason" by advocating to Congress that the A-10 should be kept in service.
The entire Close Air Support community and A-10 fan base collectively exploded. A-10 Warthog enthusiasts came to proudly call the aircraft the "Treason Bird".
The US Air Force Inspector General's Office ruled that the General's 'choice of words had the effect of attempting to prevent some members from lawfully communicating with Congress.' This is in violation of the U.S. Code and DoD Directives, and the General has been fired from his position and reprimanded. He went on to issue an apology.
This patch honors the legendary Warthog surviving yet another attempt to remove it from battlefield skies. One wonders if there's an A-10 out there with a two star 'kill mark' painted on it anywhere...
A-10 Hey Treason (2) by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr3) “Seat Shop” & “Chair Repair” designs.
Requested by a USMC maintenance team dealing with F-35 ejection seats, two versions were designed, a ‘serious’ one and a ‘funny’ one. Both are equally popular and ordered by various squadrons with the background circle color changed to match their squadron colors. Real aircraft warning markings inspired the ‘triangle’ in the design.
Seat Shop by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr
Chair repair by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr4) VMFA-121 F-35 Shoulder Patch-Hi-Vis version.
This patch was designed for the Green Knights to wear on their uniforms – inspired by the old F/A-18 patch from before the switch to the new aircraft. There were two versions made:
“STOVL STEALTH FIGHTER” was the first. It did not feature the “Have Gun, Will Travel” motto of the Green Knights because – at that time – their aircraft lacked a gun! This is the rarer of the two versions.
F35B-STOVL Stealth fighter- high colour by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr5) PATRIOT SINCE BIRTH.
This design honors children born to active-duty service members, but can find meaning with anyone driven to put their nation’s interests ahead of their own. It was inspired by a quote from Adlai Stevenson II’s 1952 speech to the American Legion:
“...with self-respect and the respect of all mankind; a patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. The dedication of a lifetime --- these are words that are easy to utter, but this is a mighty assignment. For it is often easier to fight for principals than to live up to them.”
Patriot by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr6) “Lucille” VFA-14
Commissioned by a pilot of the US Navy’s oldest fighter squadron, the “Tophatters” of VFA-14, this is the first of Travis Getz’ “Getz Girl” patches. It is also the largest and only embroidered example to date (all others being made with a more modern method).
An extremely rare patch. ONLY TWO AVAILABLE.
US Navy’s oldest fighter squadron, the “Tophatters” of VFA-14 by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr7) VMF-121 “Bunny” patch.
Requested by the Green Knights of VMFA-121 to honor the squadron’s WWII history, this is a replica of the patch worn during the era of Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss. Two ‘original’ versions were produced by the squadron in WWII – the originals made in Australia on wool and one (later) in the US on felt.
These designs reflect the US version and are produced in large and small sizes. The smaller sizes were produced on felt and twill backgrounds. The larger ones are available with felt backgrounds only.
The smaller sizes act as part of a ‘Friday patch’ set for uniform wear once a week and the larger ones were produced for sewing onto officers’ leather jackets.
VMF-121 large by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr
VMF-121 small by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr8) “Bombin’ Betty”
Inspired by the VMFA-121 items at the host’s home and the encouragement of the poker players – spent the game drawing up a new version of the famous ‘Wolf Gal’ of Andy Capp fame. A version of her had graced earlier Green Knights’ emblems (but was victim to both aesthetic and copyright problems).
After weeks of consultation with squadron members and spouses, the result was the third “Getz Girl” design, which appeared on shirts and was used for a time as the ‘Friday Patch’ on pilot’s uniforms. A vinyl sticker was also produced with info about the squadron on the back.
VMFA-121 girl by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr9) VFMA-232 “Hellena”. Only 3 available.
Hellena was created to honor the Red Devils after careful research into the original and current Red Devils’ emblem designs. Her wings are those from the US NAVAIR emblem.
VMFA-232 by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr10) Red Devils VMFA-232 OIR 2015 patch.
Inspired by a sketch from a member of the Red Devils, this patch design was created for VMFA-232 to commemorate their deployment against Daesh in 2015.
VMFA-232 OIR 2015 by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr11) VMM-166 “Lucky” Maintenance Qualification Patches.
These patches were designed at the request of VMM-166, for their maintenance staff to wear on their uniform shoulders. The squadron flies the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
“Lucky” is the name of the squadron’s Sea Elk mascot. The letters on the right show the individual Marine’s specific maintenance qualifications. The hair color is different for each maintenance qualification (there were four requested).
These patches have not been reordered since 2011 and are very unlikely to ever be produced again.
VMM-166- Lucky CDI by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr
VMM-166 Lucky CDQAR by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr
VMM-166 Lucky QAR by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr12) VT-21 “Redhawks” Instructor Pilot Patch.
The instructor pilots of US Navy training squadron VT-21 wanted a patch that would identify them as different from their students (who, until then, wore the same patch). This version, which features a ‘big bird’ chasing down two student ‘Redhawks’ (and at the same time protecting them with it’s wings). Sharp eyes will notice question marks (“?”) behind the eyes of the student birds…
VT-21 by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr13) War Horse Emblem. Only Two Available.
This patch was designed in response to a request by an Assault Helicopter Unit flying UH-60 Black Hawks. Their war call sign is “War Horse”.
War Horse by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr14) Warriors ‘Arrowhead’ Emblems. Only Two Available.
Created for a US Army unit operating Black Hawk helicopters in Afghanistan, this patch has two versions – one with a brown horse and one with a blue horse to reflect the unit’s origins in Colorado and the “Blucifer” sculpture at Colorado’s Denver International Airport.
I only have the 'Brown Horse' version.
Warriors by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr15) 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron – “Asian Bat” patch.
Requested by the current 43rd ECS to honor an era when the Compass Call program was still top secret – this design is based off a vintage patch from the squadron’s history.
Bat 43 by Lewis Gaylard, on Flickr16) Alaska Regional Flight Center Emblem.
Designed for Army National Guard Pilots tasked with flying in the challenging weather and ground conditions presented by the harsh Alaskan environment, the emblem features the phrase “Living the Dream” in Latin as well as the C-12 Huron turboprop aircraft.
Alaska by Lewis Gaylard, on FlickrIf you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Thank you for looking.
