This reference contains patches worn by the Marine aviation community from 1947 through 2005. My listing criteria was that the patch was worn, not that it was officially approved. Some are not currently politically correct, but that's the way they were. If anyone is aware of more accurate or complete dates for any patches, I'd appreciate an E-mail so that it can be included in future editions. As you may discover, I do not claim to have found all of the insignia. In Appendix C I have included a "want list" for images missing from our collection at the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation at MCAS Miramar, CA, USA.
I'd like to express my appreciation for help in compiling this information to John Elliott for historical information and support and to Jeff Millstein, the late Rick Burns, Doug Siegfried, Jan Jacobs, John Rivers, Frank Heins, Bob Chatt, the late Harry Gann, and Ron Montgomery. I extend special thanks to a good friend that I have known since 1952, back when I was a Sergeant passing through Itami AFB on R & R from Korea. REX Patch Shop moved from Itami to Iwakuni in 1956. Rex K. Endo took over from his father Rex Senior, and with his lovely wife have been supplying the Marines with patches for over 50 years. Also, many thanks to the people who sent me images or allowed me to copy their patches.
There are two volumes in the series: Volume 1 - Fixed Wing and Support Units (to 2003).
Volume 2 - Helicopter, STOL, and VSTOL (ie. VMO, VMA w/ AV-8's & SAR units).
Because of dual usage, there will be some duplication of images. The out-of-print disc-based editions are best viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or better.