'When a new pilot arrived at Takhli or Korat, he immediately purchased a 'go to hell hat' (an) Australian bush hat at the Post Exchange. For each mission flown against North Vietnam, he etched a
black hash mark on the front of the hat; for missions into the
Hanoi area (Route Package 6), he penned a red mark
on the hat. Status in an F-105 Squadron often boiled down to how many red and black hash marks a pilot wore, with the ultimate status symbol being the 100-missions patch he recieved at the end of a tour.' *excerpt from; "Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience" By John Sherwood
