Beale Air Force Base, Calif. –
The 13th Reconnaissance Squadron is re-implementing the its original patch created by Walt Disney Studios in 1944.
"The uniqueness of the patch is fitting for a squadron that's also unique as the Air Force Reserve Command's only Global Hawk unit," said Master Sgt. Christopher Van Slyk, unit historian.
In 1942, the 13th RS was activated as a photographic reconnaissance squadron. The unit saw combat in Europe during World War II, flying P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs. It was during this time that the first squadron patch was designed and approved.
Walt Disney Productions created approximately 1,200 designs during World War II for both American and Allied military units. A special six-person team of animators was named to work on the insignia requests. Designs were also created for other organizations such as civil defense and war industries. Disney's work was done for free as a donation to the war effort.
After the war, the 13th RS returned to the U.S. where the unit was inactivated in 1949. For a brief period from 1952-1953, the unit was reactivated as the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron flying the C-46 Commando.
The unit was reactivated again in 1987 as the 13th Military Airlift Squadron, then redesignated the 13th Airlift Squadron in 1992. During this period, the squadron flew C-12 Hurons and C-141 Starlifters. After 23 years in the airlift business, the 13th was deactivated once again in 2000.
In 2005, the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron was reactivated to fly the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. Having returned to its original intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, the squadron decided to pay homage to its roots by reverting to the original squadron patch.
Air Force Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and History, allows an organization to return to its historical unit emblem, generally the oldest registered emblem of the unit.
The historical unit patch of the 13th RS required special permission, however, to exceed the maximum six colors allowed by current Air Force policy. Since the 1944 emblem is a copyrighted Disney design, no design changes could be made, including color.
The exact details of the original patch were meticulously preserved in a memo to the commanding officer of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, dated March 6, 1944.
"Over and through an irregular outline figure light turquoise blue, charged with four yellow orange lightning bolts arranged three and one, a caricatured black cat, proper, eyes yellow, tongue light red, diving toward sinister base and holding a black aerial camera, trimmed blue and gray, winged light turquoise blue as per record drawing."
The significance of the emblem was also spelled out in the memo.
"Because of his cunning, quick thinking and action, the cat symbolizes the squadron pilots in pursuit of their objective - photography. The four lightning bolts represent the type of aircraft used by the squadron, while their arrangement indicates the squadron's numerical designation, 13."
"Squadron members are excited about going back to the heritage patch," Van Slyk said. "They think the one-of-a-kind Walt Disney production aspect is cool. The style of the cat on the original emblem is really feisty, and they like that, too."
According to Van Slyk, Air Force Reserve Command has approved the request to return to the original design, including the proposed motto, "Lucky Thirteen." The final step is to submit the package to the Army Institute of Heraldry for a formal rendering.
Once that final hurdle is cleared, squadron members will be able to sport the emblem on their uniforms, hopefully by the end of the year, said Lt. Col. David Lineback, 13th RS commander.
"History and traditions are important aspects of the military. The patches we all wear on our uniforms are significant reminders of our heritage, " said Lineback. "The 13th RS will wear this patch with pride."