Available as a tie clasp or tie tack, this mirror-finished “wing and star” design—better known as the “Hap Arnold device” or “Hap Arnold emblem”—is one of just three that the Air Force authorizes for use as tacks or clasps, with the other being the official Air Force symbol (frequently referred to as the “Eagle device”) and insignia of rank.
Tie clasps and tacks are worn centered between the left and right sides of the neckties and midway between the bottom of the knot and the bottom tip of the tie, which must reach far enough down to cover a portion of the buckle without extending past its bottom.
Originally the emblem of the U.S. Army Air Corps, the winged star with a disc came to be known as the Hap Arnold emblem because of the profound influence of General Henry “Hap Arnold in the development of the Corps, its transition into U.S. Army Air Forces, and the nascent days of the United States Air Force. When he was named General of the Air Force in 1949, Arnold became the only General Officer ever to hold a five-star rank in two independent branches of the U.S. military.