Cadet Squadron 34

The patch is a circle with a gold border. The top half of the background is blue with a white "34" in the upper tight. The lower half of the filed has alternating red and white stripes converging at the center of the patch. A gray A-10 Thunderbolt II with a P-47 Thunderbolt immediately below it dominates the center. A bolt of lightning, gold with a white border, extends from the upper left to the lower right. A gray and purple armored hand holds the bolt, and Polaris lies immediately below the hand. The dominate colors represent the four classes at the Air Force Academy. Though both aircraft are nicknamed "Thunderbolt," the A-10 symbolizes the modern American Air Force while the P-47 serves as a reminder of its rich heritage. The thunderbolt shows the strength and power of the Air Force, and the arm poised to throw the thunderbolt serves as a warning to potential aggressors that America is ready and willing to use military might to maintain its freedom and society. The thunderbolt patch, the squadron's third, was designed by Tracy M. Murakami, and approved for use in September 1981.