According to the USAF, the shoulder sleeve insignia worn by all personnel of the Army Air Forces (AAF) wherever stationed was approved on 23 February 1942. The patch was designed by Mr. James T. Rawls, an artist and a member of General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold’s staff. He is said to have made many designs, most incorporating pilot wings, but Arnold didn’t like any of them and told Rawls to go back to the drawing board. Rawls, a little dejected, was shown a picture of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill giving his well-known "V for Victory" sign. Rawls made a quick sketch bending the wings up, and Arnold said, "That's just what I wanted." Arnold, incidentally, is said to have designed the first Air Force pilot wings in 1917 when he was a major.

The ultramarine disk represents the medium in which the Air Forces operated, and the white star with red disk was the identifying symbol of U.S. Army and Navy airplanes since 1921. (The red disk was removed from aircraft markings in 1942 to prevent confusion with Japanese insignia.) The golden wings symbolize victorious operation.

Our shirts are printed in the US, with a pre-distressed look on soft 32 singles combed ringspun cotton shirts that have a modern tapered silhouette with side-seamed construction. As these are unisex, ladies may want to size down one size for a more contoured fit. For gentlemen, the shirts are true to size and have a longer length of about 1 inch as compared to most premium tees.

Although the patch is no longer worn on Air Force uniforms, the design appears on U.S. Air Force uniform buttons.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2)
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Side-seamed

Size guide