The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" is a
military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the
United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. The United States Coast
Guard is the only branch that does not issue its own Parachutist Badge, but its
members are authorized to receive the Parachutist Badges of other services in
accordance with their prescribed requirements. The DoD military services
are all awarded the same Basic Parachutist Badge. The Army and Air
Force issue the same Senior and Master Parachutist Badges while the Navy and
Marine Corps issue the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge to advanced
parachutists. The majority of the services earn their Basic Parachutist
Badge through the U.S. Army Airborne School.
Army The Army's Basic Parachutist Badge is
awarded to all military personnel of any service who complete the US Army Basic
Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. It signifies that the soldier
is a trained military parachutist, and is qualified to participate in airborne
operations. The badge and its sew-on equivalent may be worn on the Army
Combat Uniform. The original Army Parachutist Badge was
designed in 1941 by Captain William P. Yarborough and approved by the
Department of the Army in March of that year. The Parachutist Badge replaced the
"Parachutist Patch" which had previously worn as a large patch on the side of a
paratrooper's garrison cap. LTG Yarborough also designed the Senior and
Master Parachutist Badges and the addition of stars to portray the number
of combat jumps. The flash that is worn behind the badge is also a contribution
of William P. Yarborough. = Basic Parachutist Badge=
To be eligible for award of the basic Parachutist Badge, an individual must
have completed the Basic Airborne Course of the Airborne School of the United
States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. To graduate, a student
must complete the three-phase course consisting of a ground phase, a tower
phase, and a jump phase. By the end of the course, a student will have
completed five jumps in varying jump configurations, from a "no load" jump
all the way to a full combat load jump at night.
= Senior Parachutist Badge= To be eligible for the Senior
Parachutist Badge, an individual must have been rated excellent in character
and efficiency and have met the following requirements:
Participated in a minimum of 30 jumps including fifteen jumps with combat
equipment to consist of normal TOE equipment including individual weapon
carried in combat whether the jump was in actual or simulated combat. In cases
of simulated combat the equipment will include water, rations, ammunition, and
other essential items necessary to sustain an individual in combat. Two
night jumps must also be made during the hours of darkness one of which will be
as jumpmaster of a stick. In addition, two mass tactical jumps which culminate
in an airborne assault problem with either a unit equivalent to a battalion
or larger; a separate company battery; or an organic staff of regimental size
or larger. The soldier must fill a position commensurate with his or her
rank or grade during the problem. Either graduated from the Jumpmaster
Course of the United States Army Advanced Airborne School at Fort Bragg,
the Airborne Department of the Infantry School or the Jumpmaster School of a
separate airborne battalion or larger airborne unit, or infantry divisions and
separate infantry brigades containing organic airborne elements, including the
United States Army Alaska or the United States Army Special Operations Command
Jumpmaster Course or served as jumpmaster on one or more combat jumps
or as a jumpmaster on 15 noncombat jumps.
Have served on jump status with an airborne unit or other organizations
authorized parachutists for a total of at least 24 months.
= Master Parachutist Badge= To be eligible for the Master
Parachutist Badge, an individual must have been rated excellent in character
and efficiency and have met the following requirements:
Participated in a minimum of 65 jumps including twenty-five jumps with combat
equipment to consist of normal TOE equipment, including individual weapon
carried by the individual in combat whether the jump was in actual or
simulated combat. In cases of simulated combat the equipment will include water
rations, ammunition, and other essential items necessary to sustain an individual
in combat. Four night jumps must also be made during the hours of darkness, one
as jumpmaster of a stick. Five mass tactical jumps must be made which
culminate in an airborne assault problem with a unit equivalent to a battalion or
larger; a separate company/battery; or an organic staff of regimental size or
larger. The individual must fill a position commensurate with their rank or
grade during the problem. Either graduated from the Jumpmaster
Course of the Airborne Department of the Infantry School or the Jumpmaster School
of a separate airborne battalion or larger airborne unit, or infantry
divisions and separate infantry brigades containing organic airborne elements,
including the U.S. Army Alaska Jumpmaster Course, or served as
jumpmaster on one or more combat jumps or as jumpmaster on 33 noncombat jumps.
Have served on jump status with an airborne unit or other organization
authorized parachutists for a total of 36 months.
The 25 combat equipment jumps necessary to qualify for the Master Parachutist
Badge must be from a static line. The master parachutist badge is 38mm in
width at the widest part of the wings and 31mm from the top of the wreath to
the bottom of the parachute where the risers meet in a point.
= Airborne background trimming= Soldiers assigned to Army units on
airborne status wear a cloth oval background trimming underneath their
Parachutist Badge, which shares the basic design of the unit's beret flash.
This is one method by which an individual can identify a parachute
qualified soldier serving in a unit on active jump status, called a
"Paratrooper," versus a parachutist serving in a non-airborne unit. The
original background trimming was also a contribution of William P. Yarborough.
= Combat Jump Device= If a soldier completes an airborne jump
into a combat zone, they are authorized to wear a Combat Jump Device on their
Parachutist Badge. The device consists of a star or arrangements of stars,
indicating the number of combat jumps. The use of stars as Combat Jump Devices
did not gain official approval until after the 1983 invasion of Grenada. The
stars are awarded as follows: Air Force
Like the Army, the Air Force issues the same parachutist badges in the same
three degrees but have different criteria for the awarding of these
badges. The level of degree is determined by the number of jumps the
wearer has successfully completed, years of service in the Air Force, and other
requirements as specified by AFI 11-402, Aviation and Parachutist Service,
Aeronautical Ratings and Badges. In 1956 the Air Force began issuing a
unique Basic, Senior, and Master Parachutist Badges. These parachutist
badges were modeled after the Air Force's Medical Badges. Due to popular
demand, the Air Force decided to revert to issuing the Army style parachutist
badges in 1963. Common recipients of Air Force
Parachutist Badges include: Air Force Combat Control Teams / Special
Tactics Officers Air Force Pararescuemen / Combat Rescue
Officers Air Force Special Operations Weather
Technicians Air Force Tactical Air Control Party
members USTRANSCOM's Joint Enabling Capabilities
Command, Joint Communications Support Element personnel
Note: USAF personnel assigned to the Airborne portion of the USAF's Joint
Communications Support Squadron and JCSE consist of a limited number of personnel
within the larger USAF communications and cyber career fields and not all
personnel in those career fields. USAF Joint Communications Support
Squadron personnel Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance
and Escape Specialists Air Force Security Forces Contingency
Response Group personnel U.S. Air Force Academy cadets and
selected Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets who complete
USAFA's Airmanship 490 course, or the U.S. Army's Basic Airborne Course at
Fort Benning, GA Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy
Operational Repair Squadron Engineers Note: USAF Airborne RED HORSE personnel
consist of a limited number of USAF personnel within selected USAF civil
engineering squadrons and RED HORSE squadrons, not the entire career field.
Air Force Aircrew Flight Equipment SpecialistsNote: Most aircrew, flight
equipment, and life support technicians do not attend Airborne training nor
serve on jump status. Air Force Aerospace and Operational
Physiology TechniciansNote: Most Physiology Technicians do not attend
Airborne training nor serve on jump status.
= Basic Parachutist Badge= The Air Force Basic Parachutist Badge is
the same as the Army Basic Parachutist Badge. Air Force personnel may be
awarded the decoration following completion of basic parachute training
through a designated Air Force Air-Ground Training Program. Air Force
personnel generally earn the basic parachutist badge either through the
Army's Airborne School at Fort Benning, or USAFA cadets and USAF officers who
graduated from USAFA through completion of the AM-490 freefall parachute
training course taught by AETC's 98th Flying Training Squadron at the U.S. Air
Force Academy. The freefall program is offered to U.S.
Air Force Academy cadets and, as a result, a large percentage of Air Force
Academy graduates wear the Basic Parachutist Badge. The course is
designed for USAFA cadets to develop character, confidence, and courage. The
course, however, does not qualify a graduate for Department of Defense jump
units. Air Force members interested in pursuing a job requiring jump status
must attend the United States Army Airborne School.
= Senior Parachutist Badge= The Air Force Senior Parachutist
Insignia consists of the standard Air Force Parachutist with a star atop the
parachute. Awarded for 30 static line jumps. Those 30 jumps must include: Two
jumps during the hours of darkness; 15 jumps with operational equipment; Two
jumps with an operational unit that ended in an airborne assault or
operational problem, or four test jumps with experimental equipment; Actually
perform one night jump as a Primary Jumpmaster; and Seven jumps performing
as PJM. = Master Parachutist Badge=
The Air Force Master Parachutist Insignia consists of the Senior Air
Force Parachutist with a star centered within the wreath. Awarded for 65 static
line jumps. The 65 jumps must include Four jumps during the hours of darkness;
25 jumps with operational equipment as prescribed by the MAJCOM; Five jumps
with an operational unit culminating in an airborne assault or operational
problem, or ten test jumps with experimental equipment; Two night jumps
performing PJM duties; and 15 jumps performing as PJM.
Army & Air Force Freefall Parachutist Badges
Qualified Army and Air Force personnel may go on to earn the Military Freefall
Parachutist Badge in special operations training for High Altitude Low Opening
and High Altitude High Opening jumps. HALO/HAHO training is conducted by
Company B, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group of the US Army
Special Operations Command and lasts four weeks. It is awarded in two
degrees: Basic and Master. As with the Army's Parachutist Badges, the Freefall
Parachutist Badges awarded to Army personnel are also eligible for Combat
Jump Devices. The last awarding of a Freefall Parachutist Badge with Combat
Jump Device was in 2008 for a 30 May 2007 HAHO jump by ODA 074, 3rd
Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group in Iraq.
Navy & Marine Corps The United States Navy and Marine Corps
issue parachutist insignia in two degrees: the U.S. Military Basic
Parachutist Badge, also called the Basic Parachustist Insignia, and the Navy and
Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia. Parachutist insignia is available to
personnel who perform jumps as a: Static-Line Parachute Jumper,
Military Free-Fall Parachute Jumper, and High Altitude Low Opening Parachute
Jumper operations). Training is accomplished by successful
completion of the prescribed course of instruction while attending the:
U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course, U.S. Army Basic Military Free-Fall
Parachutist Course, or other training certified by Chief of
Naval Education and Training or approved by the Chief of Naval Operations.
= Basic Parachutist Insignia= The right to wear the Basic Parachutist
Insignia is based on the completion of prescribed training defined in MCO
3120.11.: When an enlisted member initially
qualifies as a static line parachutist, an entry shall be made on NAVPERS
1070/613 of the service record indicating the date of qualification,
type(s) of aircraft in which qualified, and unit at which the training was
received. Enlisted members are authorized the parachutist designator
added to their rating. A qualified static-line parachute jumper
who successfully completes the prescribed program of instruction while
attending a formal, interservice training facility including a minimum of
10 military free-fall parachute jumps, at least 2 of which must have been
conducted carrying full combat equipment, may qualify. Enlisted members
are authorized the military free-fall parachutist designator added to their
rating. When an officer initially qualifies as a
static line parachutist, the additional qualification designator of BT1 will be
entered into the officer's record by their detailer. Free-fall qualification
will result in an AQD of BT2. For both Static Line and Military Free
Fall Parachutist qualified personnel, a service record entry shall also indicate
whether or not the member is HALO-qualified.
The Basic Parachutist Badge is a prerequisite for the Special Warfare
Badge since parachutist training is an integral part of the Navy’s Basic
Underwater Demolition/SEAL program. SEAL personnel generally do not wear the
Basic badge once they earn their Special Warfare insignia, but will wear their
Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge in addition to the Special Warfare
Badge, the latter nicknamed the "Budweiser" badge. Navy EOD technicians
are generally also jump qualified with a number of them also being qualified in
military free-fall. Currently, due to a recent change, newly pinned Navy EOD
technicians are required to attend the U.S. Army's Basic Airborne School upon
graduation. As well, a small number of SWCC personnel earn Basic Parachutist
badges in conjunction with their assignment to a Special Boat Team
detachment that uses the Maritime Craft Air Delivery System. This enables them
to drop small watercraft and their crews from C-130 aircraft.
= Navy & Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia=
The Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia is a gold-colored embroidered
or metal insignia depicting an open parachute with outstretched wings. It is
authorized for officers and enlisted personnel who were awarded the Basic
Parachutist Insignia and, under competent orders, have completed a
minimum of five additional static-line or P3 jumps, to include: combat
equipment day jump, two combat equipment night jumps, and employ at least two
different types of military aircraft. In the latter half of WWII, graduates of
the USN Parachute Rigger School were awarded this badge designed by the
American insignia company. During World War II members of the USMC 1st Parachute
Battalion wore the same AMICO Parachute Rigger badge in the Pacific Theater
because they liked the look of the wings on their uniform more than the
officially approved 1 1/2-inch wide U. S. Army type Basic Parachutist badges
made of silver. In 1963, Major Bruce F. Myers of the Marine Corps Test Unit
requested that the Navy Parachute Rigger wings be issued as the Navy/Marine Corps
parachutist badge and it was approved that same year by Chief of Naval
Operations, Admiral George W. Anderson. While all Sailors and Marines can be
awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge the Force Recon
Marines not yet qualified continue to wear the Army Basic Parachutist
Insignia. See also
Parachutist Badge Air Assault Badge
Glider Badge Pathfinder Badge
Blood wings References
External links