Trevor Paglen has written a fun book, peeking discreetly into the “black world” of secret military projects by reproducing the patches worn by workers on the projects. The patches are surprisingly artful and whimsical, often invoking wizards and dragons to heighten the aura of mystery. Here is a typical example:
In this case, the motto has proven accurate, as Paglen was unable to figure out what unit was associated with the patch. Probably has nothing to do with pornographic movies, but you never know.
The staging areas for many of the secret operations are in the Southwest U.S., including the Area 51/Groom Lake facility where conspiracy theorists are convinced that the government is harboring alien technology from the crash at Roswell. Which, as you might imagine, makes for great source material for the patches. This one comes from the 509th Bomb Wing, in charge of the B-2 Stealth Bomber — the 509th used to be based in Roswell, although it has now moved to Missouri.
“Gustatus Similis Pullus” translates from Latin as “Tastes Like Chicken.” Get it? “To Serve Man?” If not, there is a subtle knife and fork on the patch just to drive home the message.
Other times, the emphasis on secrecy is more overt. This patch is from the 22nd Military Airlift Squadron, which would fly C-5′s to deliver classified aircraft from aerospace plants in Southern California to testing facilities around the country.
“NOYFB,” in case you were wondering, stands for “None of your fucking business.”
April 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Where is the patch by the project on genetically altered seeds as a destructive tool for warfare? Of which some, er, good parts are now used by certain close to the present government companies for worldwide seed sales, leading to US control over crops in major markets? As secondary part of the aforementioned project? Haven’t seen the patch? Maybe parts of it are on some companies’ logos?
April 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I saw this guy on the Colbert Report the other day… This isn’t serious is it?
April 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
“To Serve Man” is of course from the famous episode of the old Twilight Zone series.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
If you hadn’t let on, I’d have guessed “Gustatus similis pullus” meant “tasty simulated chicken”, and concluded that was a project to devise more compact MRE packs (“Meals Ready to Eat” or “Meals Rejected by ..”, well you get the idea!) for the military or even astronauts.
The most likely for “Behind the Green Door” is just a generic “behind closed doors” kind of phrase for spooks (which the green shape appears to represent). But I suppose there’s an outside chance it refers to Greenland as a door to the US, so to speak, and in that case might involve sensors in remote areas of Greenland or on adjoining sea beds.
But seriously, what agent or operative in any official covert group would conceivably wear one of these weird patches? It would be the sartorial equivalent of a bar room braggart claiming to be a SEAL or in SAS etc, whereupon you could immediately be certain they weren’t!
April 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
If I had to guess, first patch project has something to do with Atlantic submarine detection/concealment.
And it looks to me like there is an outline of B2 stealth bomber on the second patch. No clue about the third one.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Jolly,
Here’s the blurb from Amazon — looks legit:
“Shown here for the first time, these sixty patches reveal a secret world of military imagery and jargon, where classified projects are known by peculiar names (“Goat Suckers,” “None of Your Fucking Business,” “Tastes Like Chicken”) and illustrated with occult symbols and ridiculous cartoons. Although the actual projects represented here (such as the notorious Area 51) are classified, these patches—which are worn by military units working on classified missions—are precisely photographed, strangely hinting at a world about which little is known.
By submitting hundreds of Freedom of Information requests, the author has also assembled an extensive and readable guide to the patches included here, making this volume one of the best available surveys of the military’s black world—a $27 billion industry that has quietly grown by almost 50 percent since 9/11.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
NOYFB? The amount of money that goes into these black projects is unbelievable. But the taxpayer isn’t allowed to ask what he’s paying for (or in some cases, even how much). So who’s running things? I know, I know – we’re not allowed to ask that either. But the Truth is Out There. Just don’t try to patent it. (always loved that x-files theme.)
April 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
There’s a bit of crazy artwork posted on the April 4 entry.
http://www.defensetech.org/
And in the archives (fairly recent but can’t recall specifically) there is more patch art.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
The patch in the 9th picture of the NYT slide show has “SETEC ASTRONOMY” written on it. If you’re a HUGE NERD you’ll remember that this was the name for the company in the 1992 Robert Redford computer hacking movie “Sneakers” and is an anagram for “too many secrets.” I feel kind of pathetic for remembering that.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
For extra nerd points, “To Serve Man” is a classic science fiction story (and Twilight Zone Epsisode) — “It’s a cookbook!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man
April 9th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
“Goat Suckers”… that’s an old-fashioned term for the Nightjar family of birds, which includes the Nighthawks.
Am I on the right track? I don’t have the book (yet).
April 9th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Yes, exactly. The Goat Suckers were part of the 4452nd Test Squadron, who evaluated the F-117A (Nighthawk) stealth fighter back in the 1980′s.
April 10th, 2008 at 3:32 am
wahoo. good to see that the people sitting on the worlds largest nuclear stockpile have some keen sense of humor.
*shudder*
April 10th, 2008 at 4:16 am
I was a submariner and I can’t for the life of me think what the “green door” reference could be in relation to subs. A certain small glass window to a compartment never entered is tinted green(or was on my boat) but that’s not nearly enough, and also doesn’t make sense. I think the silence is referring to secrets not sonar/sound/etc.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:55 am
“Behind the Green Door” was a porn film, was it not? And IMDB implies the star never speaks in the movie.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Tom, it’s not polite to speak with your mouth full.
Poke, I am in your debt. That reference was killing me.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
i dont know if it has any importance but on the green door patch there is a red spot in the south west portion of the US/ northern portion of Mexico. any speculations?
April 10th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
And a white spot somewhere in the artic? Messages sent from a listening post in the Arctic to Groom Lake?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
“Increase the parameters of your enemies’ paranoia.” (Some think this includes the U.S. public.)
April 11th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
[...] Great secret military patches. One of my favorite posts of the week. [...]
April 12th, 2008 at 7:27 am
[...] zum Abschluss Humor Und zwar Humor des US-Militärs. Via Cosmic Variance eine kleine Kollektion von Aufnähern als besonders vertraulich eingestufter Projekte. Gewinner [...]
April 12th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
This is, perhaps, the single greatest post I have yet read in all of blogland.
Don’t let that comment get to your heads, as I only read three blogs. Nonetheless…..
April 13th, 2008 at 5:05 am
The last patch is definately:Did Nasa go to the really moon?
April 13th, 2008 at 6:39 am
“really”?..the patch bears/gives the answer to the question:Did N.A.S.A. really go to the moon? (correct version!)..before anyone approaching a facility worker can actually ask it.
The stealth bomber is quite interesting, it gives obvious rader_absorbing handwaving signals in its design, emmanating from the ground, below the craft.
The alien sheilding the stealth, is another great take on the “Alien Technology” doing the rounds in the late 70′s early 80′s, where the whole of U.F.O phenonema was an ideal cover for the cover_t designs….or was it the fact aliens were the driving force?…or was it..eh! …. transmission ends.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:55 am
The first patch is easy, but “The Goat Suckers were part of the 4452nd Test Squadron, who evaluated the F-117A (Nighthawk) stealth fighter back in the 1980’s.” ..relates to the fact of low_flying, ..I mean goat low missions, where the pilots literaly sucked goats into their engine intakes..and I thing this predates the stealth era?
April 13th, 2008 at 6:58 am
I’m afraid I am not at liberty to discuss the first patch, upon hearing the explanation, you would have to be destroyed, really cloak + dagger ops !
April 14th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Paul Valletta (#26) wrote:
>
> I’m afraid I am not at liberty to discuss the first patch ..
I have that first patch sussed now, possibly. An aerial or satellite view of the US-Mexico border shows at many points a sudden transition to a distinctly greener shade on the US side.
In view of that maybe the “green door” is an expression used in some circles to refer to the US-Mexico border, and the ghost represents illegal immigrants who furtively cross it in droves.
That might explain the red patch over the south western states, although it’s harder to reconcile the idea with the ghost’s menacing red eyes and dagger, unless these all just represent an unspecified threat of some kind, not necessarily hostile but possibly economic for example.
But I still reckon we’re probably discussing an elaborate April fool joke.
April 20th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Two things.
One, these things are really funny. These are designed to bring great laughs among pals who are in the trenches. You’re looking at American esprit de corps, mighty powerful stuff when it comes to getting a ridiculously hard job done. Whatever else you think of stunts like stealth bombers and laying miles of undersea cable, they ain’t easy jobs.
Two, if some plans sound wack they’re mainly for the minds of others. They’re terrific disinformation. Makes them even funnier.
Third of two things. I find myself coveting a To Serve Man patch with a covetousness not felt in in 20 years. That Twilight Zone moment is among my happiest. I was an early teen, really sucking in stuff like this. The payoff blew us away. We all laughed after the longest gasp. I nominate this as mankind’s greatest pun.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:25 am
[...] You would have to be destroyed (@ Cosmic Variance) [...]
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