Fortunately, after several years of patience and hard work by Lt Col Dana Duthie, Maj Richard M. “Woody” Woodward, and Yale Saffro, plus several pounds (literally) of paperwork, we were finally able to convince the Air Force Heraldry Division that the original “Headhunter” patch design should not be changed.  Our Unit patch is now the only official patch in the…

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This patch, sent in by Dick Jonas on 17 July 2001, was worn by him on his flight suit while flying in the 80th in 1983-1984.  It has Velcro to allow removal before flight. Shortly thereafter, about 84-85, The pilots went to the bright-colored patches with Velcro, while the non-fliers had these subdued ones on their BDU’s. This is the patch…

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This subdued patch was sent in by LtCol Marshall Smith, USMCR, on 16 July 2001. It is thought to be an early version sewn on flight suits and non-flying personnel fatigues before Velcro, but after the Squadron returned to the original version of the patch in 1982. They are patches worn by both pilots on their flight suits, and on…

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The two smaller-sized round patches with the “Headhunters” and “80th Tac Ftr Sq” rockers entered use in the early 1980s.  They were brought about by new Air Force regulations requiring unit designations to be on every squadron patch.

The yellow “Headhunter” patch on the Norman-style shield was later worn extensively during the Vietnam War, modified as shown. In the summer of 1971 when the Squadron picked up the nickname of JUVATS, the above patch was modified again by replacing “HEADHUNTERS” with “JUVAT” on end-of-tour plaques and coffee mugs; however, the “HEADHUNTER” patch was not changed for flight suits.  It…

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This photo, sent in by Albert Marcello, depicts the Squadron patch of the 80th Fighter Bomber Sq in the mid ’50’s.  Al says, “The patch was given to me when I joined the 80th FBS in 1955 in Okinawa.  I am very proud of it and have kept it all these years.  Also  thrilled to contribute my photo of it…

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Different versions of the yellow “Headhunters” patch first appeared during the Korean War period, but didn’t enter wide use until the early 1960s while the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron was stationed at Yokota AB, Japan.

On 8 April, 1943 Capt Edward “Porky” Cragg assumed command of the 80th Fighter Squadron.  The Squadron was then flying out of Port Moresby, New Guinea, fighting some of the toughest battles of the Second World War.  During these battles, many an 80th Fighter Squadron pilot was returned to the Allied lines by sympathetic local headhunter natives–who hated the Japanese…

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The original Squadron patch, showing Donald Duck emptying a chamber pot on a Rising Sun, was designed by an 80th crewchief, MSgt Yale Saffro (a pre-war Walt Disney Studios artist), and distributed to Squadron personnel in April 1943. It was chosen over a design submitted by the Disney Studios which showed a black sheep. While Saffro’s design very accurately reflected…

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