Welcome to the Valley!
Knowledge has no value unless you share it.
This is my personal collection of USAF Jolly Green Giant patches & I want to share my passion of the heritage of the Jolly Green Giants mission with everyone.
Please note: I'm afraid none of these patches are for sale, sorry.
April is recognised as the Month of the Military Child (MoMC), a special time to honour Air Force children and families for their sacrifices, adaptability, and resilience amid frequent moves, deployments, and military life stressors. Celebrations include signing proclamations, hosting base events, and promoting "Purple Up" events.
Events will be held around the globe at USAF bases which include families of USAF service personnel.
The dandelion is the official flower of the military child because it puts down roots almost anywhere and is resilient, and who doesn't love blowing a dandelions seads from the flower.
Purple is used as the colour as this combines all branches of the US Armed Services.
The 41st RQS based at Moody AFB have designed and made this fantastic patch to celebrate this event during April. They plan to wear this patch during the month to promote the global event.
If you want to promote your event, please feel free to post it here.
The initial purpose of this blog was to showcase the patches I've collected over the years and share my passion for them. Over time, it has evolved to also impart the knowledge I've gained during my patch collection journey. I want this platform to be a place where you, too, can share your patch-related knowledge and stories with others. Its not a site where yo just get pictures of patches with little or no description, there are a few out there and they serve little purpose. Here you'll fond a little bit of history about them from basic facts to superb stories on why and when they were made. The site celebrates the remarkable work of the men and women associated with the Jolly Green Giants, from their historical roots in Vietnam to their continued service around the world.
The Jolly Green Giants have a rich history, spanning various conflicts, and this blog aims to rekindle memories and encourage you to get in touch, share your heritage through stories, pictures, or patches. Each patch has a unique history within a squadron, created for various reasons, including daily use, morale, exercises, operations, or unit cohesion. Whether you're interested in aviation, have ties to a Squadron, or have relatives who served, this blog offers insights into what these individuals did, where they served, and what aircraft they operated.
Furthermore, it emphasizes the human aspect, acknowledging that those who wear these patches are fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and more. The site hopes to provide a glimpse into their roles within the Jolly Green Giant community. Without them, the Jolly Green Giant would be incomplete.
This blog is a continuous project with new articles regularly added. Contributions of information, photos, and comments are vital as they help improve and evolve the site. The motto at the top of the page underscores the importance of using and sharing knowledge. The blog also welcomes those who wish to sell or trade patches, with an invitation to contact the author to contribute to the USAF Jolly Green Patch Collection and share in their passion for these helicopters, pilots, PJ's, and crew with the internet community. Donations are also accepted to enrich the collection on your behalf.
I welcome anyone interested in the history of the USAF's Jolly Green Giants/Units to explore and learn from my collection. The main goal is to share both my collection and the knowledge I have about it with anyone who shares an interest in this topic.
Thanks for your visit and hope you enjoy my collection. If you have anything to share please contact me via email at usafjollygreen@gmail.com
Three legendary SAR helicopters have carried the title of the Jolly Green Giant, the HH-3, HH-53 & HH-60. There are some who may think the Pavehawk shouldn't be included in the history of the jolly green giant, however I'm not one. The reason, simple. The CH-3 & CH-53 started the legacy in Vietnam, as they were the only credible assets the USAF had to perform CSAR and adopted the Jolly Green Giant. Since the CH-3 & CH-53's have retired the HH-60 is again the only credible USAF helicopter to perform CSAR, and wear the jolly green patch. Also the CH-3 & CH-53's were supported by HH-43's in Vietnam (Pedro's), only by chance due their being no other helicopters available, the HH-60 carries this mission too, so, again in my opinion, can use the callsign of Pedro and Jolly while on active duty.
In the campaigns in the far east in Iraq and Afghanistan the HH-60G worked in both theatres, so posed a unique modern day problem. The SATCOM frequencies used by the Pavehawk were the same for both AOR's, so to differentiate where the were working the Jolly callsign was used in the Iraq theatre, & Pedro was used in the Afghanistan theatre. Because they were controlled by CENTCOM using one frequency they could differentiate which theatre they were operating in.
Air Force pararescue men are among the elite when it comes to CSAR, however they need to get their, fast. Their main task is to rescue pilots who have been shot down behind enemy lines. It's never been an easy task, but at least the technology has improved since World War II, when the chance of rescue was very low.
Helicopters first appeared in a small capacity during the Korean War before they really came of age during Vietnam, proving to be the SAR asset America needed.
The Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant was the beginning of the Jolly Green Giant. Its boat like hull and colour lead to its unofficial christening. When a HH-3 landed in the rice paddies of Vietnam, it would leave a big impression in the mud, looking like a giants foot had been there, plus the green camouflage gave its name, the Jolly Green Giant. The helicopters were slow, underpowered, and under armed, but continued to serve after the SEA conflict & some seeing service in Desert Storm and the last ones serving until 1995.
Legend CMSgt. Wayne Fisk explains the green feet tattoo and how many toes you should have on your tattoo. Over the years the number of toes has varied between 4, 5 or 6. Early crews had 5 toes, then some NCO's went to 4 toes to differentiate between them and the Officers. Some squadrons have 5-6 toes for the 56th RQS, the 66th RQS had 6-6 toes on both feet and the Special Tactics crew wear an emblem with 4 toes on their emblem. Theres various reasons for this, but no matter how many toes the patch or tatoo has they all ahave a common theme, CSAR and the Jolly Green Giant.
The Air Force recognised the importance of recovering downed aircrew in Vietnam, so the even larger HH-53 was procured, and called them Super Jolly Green Giants. They also took part in SAR missions during the Vietnam War, but after that war, the HH-53s were upgraded into the Pave Low configuration, making them capable of operating at night and bad weather. They also became used as special operations transports. The last Pave Lows were retiring in 2008.
The Air Force though, was looking for more SAR assets – mostly because they only had 41 of the Super Jolly Green Giants. The HH-60A was initially used until a specially modified version became available as the HH-60G. Its primarily tasked with the CSAR, and it usually carries .50-caliber machine guns or 7.62mm miniguns to protect itself. Like the Pave Low, the Pave Hawk can carry out missions at night or day.
The Special Tactics crews earn their maroon berets with the PJ's before splitting, however they use the green feet in their official emblem.
The USAF plan to replace the HH-60G with the newly made HH-60W.
The HH-60W is a modified version of the Army's UH-60M Blackhawk & has a combat radius of 195 nautical miles, and is equipped with new displays to reduce the air crew's workload, and to help the pararescue jumpers do their job more efficiently. The Air Force plans to buy 112 HH-60Ws to replace the 99 HH-60Gs currently in service.
A Jolly Green Giant and the HH-60G. (920th RQW photo)
If you have anything to share please contact me via email at usafjollygreen@gmail.com
A total of 43 units have incorporated the Jolly Green Giant as a patch, with some using it for varying durations and amidst changing designations. The list below outlines all the units that have utilized this emblem and their respective designations. For instance, the 41st employed the Jolly Green patch as both an ARRS and an RQS, thus it is noted as the 41st ARRS/RQS. Click on a specific unit to access its official history directly. I hope you will find this list beneficial as a convenient reference for locating a particular unit. If you possess any additional information, please feel free to leave a comment, and I will incorporate it into the history.
