The Shoulder Patches Category consists of eighty-five embroidered cloth or embossed leather patches designed for wear on the shoulder or breast area of an aviation flight suit or jacket. Some of the patches in the collection date from the years John Glenn served as an aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps. Most of the patches in the collection pertain to Glenn's career as a NASA astronaut. The collection also contains patches dating from Glenn's twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate.