I work in AFRL and one of my co-workers just returned with the same patch. Seems it is quite popular...and true.

Notice that Cartman is the only one smiling? Awesome-O!

Sweeeet.

Kickass!

Saw the patch photo & wondered if you would like this poem fragment by Greek poet Simonides 557-476BC written to celebrate King Leonidas & 300 soldiers who kept a large army of Persians at bay by fighting to the last man at the Battle of Thermopylae:
When you go home, tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow, these gave their today.
Went the day well? We died and never knew,
But, well or ill, freedom, we died for you.

They need to print it Arabic so the Iraqis can understand it. Maybe they could also show on Iraqi TV the South Park episode where Santa gets shot down over Iraq, taken prisoner, tortured and Mr. Hankey and Jesus take the boys on a mission to save Santa.

Except having the torturers being Iraq instead of American, it was very prescient show!

I'll bet its very popular. And they should be very proud of the success of lthe War on Terror

Damn, that is one really scary looking camel.

Ms Judith
also the "point line" in a obscure Burt Lancaster "pre" Vietnam movie called--Go Tell the Spartans--not sure of the year--late 70's I think--set in the timeframe immediately after Dein bein phu and foreshadowing American engagement THERE--from which it was drawn--just a vague memory of having seen it; gotta luv them greek poets and historians, though

Diamond Dad (and everybody else), go dig up a copy of Frank Miller's "300." You won't regret it.

I need to find one to go with my Bart Simpson Tailhook "I Wasn't There and You Can't Prove It" patch.

Bet cha don't have one of these, tho! HA!

As a Marine Officer currently in Iraq, I can say I've not seen this, but then I'm not in an Air Force base.

I appreciate the South Park humor, but I despise the sentiment that the words on the patch convey. It is arrogant, elitist and does nothing to further civil-military relations.

Rest assured that not all of us over here feel like we have a right to say such things.

Captain Rentner-

Captain, lighten up. It's a patch. It's an old USAF tradition, and I'm reasonably sure that it isn't being worn on anybody's uniform, any more than the 'USMC 1991 Persian Gulf Live-Fire Exercises' patches were ever on a single set of utilities.
We laugh because we have to. It is a tough, grim situation and a bit of an attitude keeps them sane, whether they are Marine riflemen or USAF maintenance troops.

Mike
USAF 1978-98

I don't know, Marine... as long as they're not wearing it publicly, I fail to see the problem with a little humor (I can't see any Commanders authorizing this as a uniform item). In my AF days I saw many "fun" patches, usually put together by the pilots (one of my favorite patches was a fuel gauge with the needle on "E", and the heading "fun meter").

These things are common, and I've seen worse on some of the unit coins I've run across.

On the other side of the coin (har), I've seen some USMC shirts that were gruesome and downright misanthropic.

Captain Rentner,

Speaking as a former Marine NCO and current AF Officer I can tell you, in my view, you are completely off-base. For, literally, thousands of years off and on civil authority has despised and held in contempt the hard-edged men and women that have enabled their societies to exist. To meekly accept this situation without, at least, calling attention to the inequity and hypocrisy is unworthy of yourself as a Marine and the troops under your command. If you think ignoring the realities will suddenly make civil authorities duly appreciative after all this time you need a reality check. Surely you've read Kipling?

Why don't you American scum stop invading other people's countries? Is it any wonder nobody likes you?

I saw that patch when I was in Iraq, too. Another South Park patch shows the boys with the slogan, "You sent me to Iraq...You Bastards!"

The comments above about finding humor in a bad situation are right on target. When mortars and rockets are coming in every day you have to laugh or you'll go crazy.

Are you implying that Europeans are nobody?

btenney,
(eurobashing)
Why bother implying? Let's just say it: Old Europe is sidelined, irrelevent, and a USAREUR re-deployments away from being nobody.
(/eurobashing)

I'm not sure why some people are calling me captain. I'm a major.

Now, the other South Park patch mentioned is funny. I like that one.

Humor Patches help relieve tensions at the time and help bring the better memories to the front later. Anybody got any Doonesbury Patches!