Official U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Battle Flag patch.
Acta Non Verba — the only service academy that's seen combat as Midshipmen.
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York is one of the five federal service academies — alongside USNA, USMA, USAFA, and USCGA — and the only one whose Midshipmen sail into harm's way as part of their education. The Academy was federally funded and established by an Act of Congress in 1936 (the Merchant Marine Act), began operations in 1942, and was officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 30, 1943. During World War II, 142 USMMA Midshipmen were killed in action while sailing aboard merchant ships in convoys across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Mediterranean theaters — a sacrifice unmatched by any other service academy and the reason the Academy proudly carries a Battle Standard alongside the regimental colors. The motto is "Acta Non Verba" — Deeds, Not Words — and the Academy continues to commission graduates as Merchant Marine officers and as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force, with a uniquely flexible "Service Obligation" that requires graduates to sail commercially as a licensed Merchant Marine officer or serve five years on active duty. The Battle Flag commemorates the 142 Mariners-in-training who never came home. This patch is a tribute to that legacy.
Perfect For: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Midshipmen and alumni, Kings Point Strategic Sealift Officers, USMMA Naval Aviation and Marine Corps option commissionees, Merchant Mariner officers, federal service academy heritage collectors, and WWII Merchant Marine convoy historians.
Kings Point Battle Flag — Acta Non Verba, 142 never forgotten.
