Posted on May 31, 2014
Have you ever seen anyone wearing a Glider badge?
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Have you ever seen anyone wearing a Glider badge? How many Soldiers could you ask before receiving the correct answer without the help of a search engine?
Posted in these groups: 
Badges
Military History
Badges Military History
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 491
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I've never seen anyone but WW2 veterans wearing it.
I think, though, that I should get one for learning how to hang-glide through an MWR course.
I think, though, that I should get one for learning how to hang-glide through an MWR course.
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Not as a part of their current uniform. I did meet some of the members of the 101st from the WWII time frame. Those guys made me realize what true grit and bravery meant. Some of the guys I met inserted by glider.
We did wear the glider patch on our Garrison Caps as part of the 101st history before the black beret became a thing.
We did wear the glider patch on our Garrison Caps as part of the 101st history before the black beret became a thing.
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SSG Trevor S.
SGT (Join to see) - You're welcome!
The WWII vets I met at that convention did have glider wings, but they were worn on civilian suit lapels and such.
The WWII vets I met at that convention did have glider wings, but they were worn on civilian suit lapels and such.
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SGT David Stead
I had that on my cap in 1995 at Fort Campbell KY while serving in HHD 561st CSB, 101st AB.
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LTC (Join to see)
I thought I had encountered glider patches on Garrison Caps in the mid 70's. Sheesh, I was already retired when the Black Beret was adopted.
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We had a MSG(E7) in 1/32 Inf in 1964 who wore them. He, as well as our Bn SGM(jumped in), was a Normandy vet and participated in the glider landings there.
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In 1979 I was stationed at Ft Myer Va and one day coming back from the dining facility I saw an Air Force NCO wearing a CIB-when I got closer I also saw that he had a set of wings he was wearing-turned out to be Glider wings-talked with him for a few and found out he did the assault on D-Day in 1944-very much respect for him and the courage to ride into combat in one of those!!!!!!
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- I have seen people wearing a glider badge but they were all WWII vets.
- The glider badge has not been issued since WWII when was the last time that the US actually had glider forces.
- Look at unit titles and lineage. There is a difference between PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) and GIR (Glider Infantry Regiment).
- There were five airborne divisions in WWII. Each had a mix of airborne and glider regiments.
- As relatively new technologies, the basic difference was that airborne forces could drop into more areas but were more separated upon landing. Glider forces could land into fewer areas but were consolidated 10 Soldiers per upon landing.
- The glider badge has not been issued since WWII when was the last time that the US actually had glider forces.
- Look at unit titles and lineage. There is a difference between PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) and GIR (Glider Infantry Regiment).
- There were five airborne divisions in WWII. Each had a mix of airborne and glider regiments.
- As relatively new technologies, the basic difference was that airborne forces could drop into more areas but were more separated upon landing. Glider forces could land into fewer areas but were consolidated 10 Soldiers per upon landing.
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SGT Eric Knutson
Yes sir, I believe the nomenclature of a unit will tell you the difference. As I understood it when I asked as a young troop fresh into the 101st, the 100 series Regiments were supposed to be separate Combat teams, the 300 series were Glider Regiments and the 500's were PIR with the 3 and 5 being mixed to combine for a Division. The exception was the 555th was a Parachute heavy mixed with a Bn of glider. which never deployed overseas, but used to fight and control forest fires from the Japanese Incendiary balloon attacks in the northwest coast.
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As an Marine Airborne Pathfinder, I has been blessed to share time with a “Glider Badge” warrior from WWII airborne history, Mr. Tom Mallison of Paris, TX. He flew in hot on D-Day with a Jeep in his glider. Having heard his stories, jumping from a plane was a lot more safe the flying that glider.
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SGT (Join to see)
It’s been 74 years since two young men from Lamar County found themselves involved in the largest amphibious invasion ever attempted — the Invasion of Normandy.
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