65th Fighter Squadron's "Uncle Bud"

[jbmilart]

This is the 65th Fighter Squadron's "Uncle Bud" emblem... paper template, I just finished... I am in the proccess of duplicating this template, into a leather patch... which I am probably going to use on my personal old A-2 jacket...
I did some research awhile ago on the 57th Fighter Group... and found that this fighter squadron's emblem was originally created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, while the 57th was still in training in Florida. The name "Uncle Bud" came from a Captain of the 65th who actually had a pet fighting game cock, named "Uncle Bud". The legend was born! Uncle Bud accompanied the group all the way through North Africa in '42 until they reached Italy in '43 via a truck convoy... only to meet his demise... being run over by a jeep! A high ranking officer, felt so bad over Uncle Bud... that he dispatched orders to the States, to aquire another "Uncle Bud" via military transport... so the story goes. Uncle Bud 1, was preserved and stuffed, placed into a glass case, prominently over looking the squadron's bar. Uncle Bud II resumed the duties until after the war.

Jim

 

[Jeff M]

Another great job. Be interested to see it on leather.
This hasn't been one of my favorite patches. Usually hard to tell what is going on in the body with the chain decoration and the chip on the shoulder...but you brought them out great. Also like the look of the mouth.
Really conveys a "fighting (male chicken)" motiff. (The forum censor won't let me use the word cock. )

 

[jbmilart]

Thanks Jeff!...

I'll post a photo of the leather patch in a couple of days... should look good... even with some of the feathers sticking out!... I've seen 2 types of Uncle Bud patches, one is the photo I did... with the white ring... which was exactly the one painted on the fighters... the other has a dark brown ring... which I think hides the Uncle Bud features... I'm going with the white ring on my A-2... kinda frames old Uncle Bud better! (IMO).

Jim

 

[Jeff M]

Here's another nice version of the patch, an original on an A2 eBay auction;
Added an outer brown ring.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-2-FLIGHT-JA ... _500wt_900

 

[jbmilart]

Yeah, it looks like a brown sewing ring, added to the white ring... still looks cluttered to me... but, it's a true piece of history... that's for sure!...

Jim