Bird Dog 82nd Airborne Artillery Patch

Description

Bird Dog BTRY E 82 ARTY (AVN) Patch

Spotting targets from above — the Bird Dogs of Battery E.

Battery E, 82nd Artillery (Aviation) operated under the “Bird Dog” call sign during the Vietnam War, a name drawn from the legendary Cessna O-1 Bird Dog observation aircraft that defined aerial scouting in the conflict. Based out of Phuoc Vinh, Battery E flew observation and fire direction missions, locating enemy positions and calling in artillery strikes with precision that only eyes in the sky could provide. The aerial observers of units like Battery E were among the most exposed aviators in the war, flying low and slow over hostile territory in small, unarmed aircraft to guide the devastating firepower of American artillery onto target. This patch preserves the memory of those missions.

Perfect For:
Battery E 82nd Artillery veterans, Vietnam-era aerial observer pilots, Army aviation historians, and collectors of Vietnam War aviation unit patches.

For the Bird Dogs who flew low and called it in.

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