The CBI patch lives on!



CBI Insignia 817th EAS Insignia 817th EAS Insignia
(desert version)

The CBI patch, originally designed in 1942 by Brig. General Frank Dorn, lives on today as the insignia of the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (817 EAS), a C-17 unit based in Incirlik, Turkey with a detachment at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan.  Hence the Kuomintang Sun of China has been replaced with the Turkish crescent moon and star.  But it's easily recognizable as being based on the CBI patch!

Special thanks go to Lt. Col. Steven DiMatteo (817 EAS/CC, 62 OG), Capt. Steven Byrum (817 EAS/CCE, 10 AS), Capt. Christopher Mazzei (817 EAS/Det 1, 10 AS), and Capts Erik Carlson and Norbert King II (4 AS/CCE) for providing information on the history of the patch.

From Capt. Mazzei:

"Since the original 817th EAS stood up at Rhein-Main AB, Germany following September 11th, that patch depicted the C-47, C-54 and C-17 to reflect Rhein Main's historical legacy as a major hub of the Berlin Airlift.  When Rhein-Main AB closed in 2006 and moved to Incirlik, the 4th Airlift Squadron, which was operating the stage at the time, redesigned the 817th patch to pay homage to their brief service in the CBI theater in 1944.

"The original 817th patch, since it referenced the Berlin Airlift, became obsolete when Rhein-Main AB closed.  I think one of the designers of the patch was a real history buff and wanted something to reflect the unit's heritage while reflecting the current mission, hence the placement of the star and crescent on the patch.

"Our mission here takes us over the Tien Shan mountain range in Central Asia, and every time the weather is clear and I look down upon the thousands upon thousands of mountain peaks, I am amazed that brave aviators flew in that environment during World War II.  To be honest, it's easy for us to fly with high performance, pressurized aircraft with modern avionics out here.  I can't imagine dead reckoning, on oxygen, in the weather, in freezing temperatures."

Some information on this unit is available at the Manas Air Base - Units webpage.

For more on the origins of the CBI patch, see HERE and HERE.