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315th Airlift Wing's Swamp Foxes get new patch

  • Published
  • By Michael Dukes
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. --  Last month the 315th Airlift Control Flight acquired a new official Swamp Fox patch to wear on the shoulders of their flightsuits in accordance with AFI 84-105, "Organization Lineage, Honors, and Heraldry."

The unit's previous patch was one they unofficially made up years ago as a way to show pride in their jobs. While an impressive design, the old patch lacked the official sanction of the Air Force.

"The new patch reflects our support of the mission around the world which is why we superimposed the fox head over the globe; the old one only showed the continents of North and South America," said Maj. Elizabeth Dietrich, 315th ALCF.

Dietich said creating the new patch was a team effort with ALCF members providing feedback to help narrow down the final design.

Like all military patches, everything on the 315th ALCF patch has a significant meaning or purpose. "Ultramarine blue and Air Force yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The globe signifies the world-wide capabilities of the unit. The fox denotes the Flight's quick-thinking and adaptability to changing mission requirements. The fox is a reminder that we must utilize all of our resources in order to accomplish the mission," according to the technical details sent back from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

The "Swamp Fox" has another special significance here in South Carolina. The Swamp Fox was the name give to Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, a South Carolina native, Revolunary War military officer and man credited as being one of the founding fathers of guerilla warfare.

Some might remember that Mel Gibson played the Swamp Fox in the movie The Patriot.

Francis Marion is buried at Belle Isle Plantation Cemetery, Berkeley County, South Carolina. The bronze plaque on his gravestone reads: " ... One of the most distinguished PATRIOTS AND HEROES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION which elevated his native country to honor and independence and secured to her the blessings of liberty and peace..."