In the Air Force fighter community,
there is a coveted and rare marker
painted near the cockpit of certain planes,
just beneath the pilot's name, rank, and call sign.
It's a six-inch green star with a half-inch black border.
But what does it signify?
During World War II, frequent aerial combat
combined with the sheer numbers of planes in the air at once
led to dozens of pilots having to kill
or be killed on any given day.
The Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force
have allowed pilots to mark their victories
on their fuselages for decades.
In that era of fierce fighting, the U.S. Army Air Corps
allowed most pilots to mark their aerial victories
with a small replica of the enemy pilot's flag,
placed beneath the pilot's name on the fuselage.
This was typically either a decal
or a bit of paint applied by the ground crew.
There were also some cases of fighter groups
painting the silhouettes of the planes they had shot down.
One U.S. pilot even boasted every Axis flag
as well as a single U.S. flag on his cockpit.
Yes, he shot down a U.S. plane and got a medal for it.
Click the link below to watch that video.
But, eventually, the use of flags, silhouettes,
and some other markings fell out of favor
when it came to aerial victories,
though the Air Force does still allow bomber crews
to use bomb silhouettes to mark their missions.
But for fighter pilots, it's now all about the green star,
standardized in Air Force Instruction 21-205
as quote, "Aerial Victory Marking.
"Fighter aircraft awarded a verified aerial victory
"are authorized to display a six-inch green star
"with a half-inch black border located just below
"and centered on the pilot's name block.
"The type of aircraft shot down shall be stenciled
"inside the star in half an inch white lettering.
"For aircraft with multiple aerial victories,
"a star is authorized for each aircraft shot down.
"No other victory markings are authorized."
In other words, it's for the air-to-air kill.
Now modern aerial victories are rare,
not because the U.S. loses but because the Air Force
dominates enemy air space so hard and fast
that typically only a handful of pilots
will actually engage the enemy in the air
before the U.S. owns the airspace outright.
In Desert Storm, about 30 U.S. pilots
achieved aerial kills in about 30 aircraft.
Meanwhile, there are almost 2,000 fighter aircraft
in the U.S. inventory.
So, yes, the green stars are very rare.
So rare, the air wings occasionally
brag about the green-star aircraft
that are still in their units.
The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing history department
released an article in 2008
bragging that a green-star aircraft from Desert Storm
was then in active service over Afghanistan.
The aircraft on display is the only F-15E
to ever achieve an air-to-air kill,
a feat it pulled off by bombing a helicopter as it took off,
destroying the helicopter
and the troops it had just dropped off.
Check out our video about how it went down
by clicking the link below.
- [Narrator] It was the F-15E Strike Eagle's first
and only air-to-air kill during Desert Storm,
that would become the most memorable.
- In 2010, the 353rd Special Operations Group
historian released an article about their F-15C
with its own green star.
The plane was used by a Marine pilot
in an exchange program who shot down one of two MiG-29s
attempting to attack an F-14 flying all alone
and unafraid during Desert Storm.
Of course, aerial victories are even rarer today.
In 2017, the Navy claimed America's first air-to-air kill
of an enemy aircraft since 1999.
In other words, we've had only one aerial victory
in almost 20 years.
(gasping)
In the 2017 engagement, two U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets
attacked a Syrian Su-22 fighter
that was dropping bombs near forces friendly to the U.S.
For anyone wondering how we invaded
two countries at the start of this century
without shooting down any enemy aircraft,
Iraq lost most of its aircraft during Desert Storm
in the following year, and Afghanistan had
no real air force to speak of in 2001.
Most aircraft destroyed in Syria were killed on the ground.
So, no green stars there.
But victory markings aren't the only things
painted on military aircraft.
Let's not forget nose art.
According to the Air Force Times, Brett Stolle,
the curator at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
said quote, "Nose art was first conceived
"during World War I by French and German aviators
"who pioneered the application of personalized marking,
"insignia, and garish paint schemes
"for their combat aircraft," unquote.
By World War II, the trend caught on in America,
where pin-up culture was in full swing.
The lovely ladies weren't the only things
painted on aircraft.
Cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse
or Bugs Bunny were also popular.
My grandfather flew a B-29 Mitchell
called the Bedroom Commando
which depicted a nightgown-clad gentleman
sneaking around on an I'm sure ungentlemanly mission.
Today, nose art goes through a strict approval process.
According to an Air Force memorandum from 2015,
designs must be quote "Distinctive, symbolic,
"gender neutral, intended to enhance unit pride,
"and designed in good taste," unquote.
There are some iconic paint schemes
like the tiger-shark teeth on the 23rd Fighter Group's A-10s
but there's also a new trend popping up, colorful body-art.
To celebrate the Oregon Air National Guard's
75th anniversary, the 173rd Fighter Wing
transformed an F-15 Eagle into, well an eagle.
The artist wanted something bold and they did it.
Taking 31 days to design and decorate the bird,
which is currently on deployment in Finland.
It's getting a lot of attention,
but apparently the design is only temporary.
This is another growing trend.
In 2016, the USS Lexington Museum
painted an F9F-8 Cougar hot pink
to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
but dish washing liquid was applied to the latex paint,
which allowed the aircraft to return
to its normal shade of gray.
You know what doesn't wash off, though?
Victory Markings.
Because pride lives forever.
- What we do in life
echoes in eternity!
- By the way, we've got merch now.
Like this shirt?
What about this shirt?
Check it out in the link below.
(sexy music)