Posted on Jul 18, 2015
What do you think when you see a Soldier with Airborne wings?
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I once had a commander say, "I always know I can trust a paratrooper, he volunteered twice to get here. Once to join, and then a second time to jump".
What do you think when you see a pair of Airborne wing on a Soldier? Is it a mark of someone who goes the extra mile? Or just some additional flair?
What do you think when you see a pair of Airborne wing on a Soldier? Is it a mark of someone who goes the extra mile? Or just some additional flair?
Airborne School
Paratrooper
Badges
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 109
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Being an "Gold Wing" Airborne Marine, there is pride in the individual accomplishment. But I/we realize it's just a way to "get to work" so that we can do my job on the battlefield, and is no more special then how my fellow Marines get to the fight whether Amphibious Assault vehicles, helicopters, trucks, or a good old fashion "straight leg" hike. The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the most important achievement and contribution to bring about success in any mission assigned. One Team, One Fight!
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CAPT Michael Toleno
Well said, Gunny. This is a positive aspect of Marine Corps culture: that all contribute, and our pride should be primarily in the unity of the entire team. Everyone has a role, and all roles are important. The infantryman needs the support of the folks in aviation, logistics, armor, artillery, and all other combat and non-combat specialties. This is even more important when we are in a multi-service or joint environment, which is nearly always the case these days.
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CPO Arthur Weinberger
Earning dolphins is a true accomplishment. Taking pride and exhibiting dedication to any job in the Armed Forces is something to truly be proud of. We all helped our country; thank you.
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CMSgt Donald ONeill
I think that having a bunch of young studs thinking they are the baddest dudes in town is not a bad thing . Remember you are going to fight a enemy that thinks the same way .
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TSgt Ralph Schloss
We all take pride in our wings, I have mine tattooed over my heart. Naval Air-crewman training was the hardest thing I've ever done. I joined the Navy with a life long fear of water. our motto" we're crude, rude and socially unacceptable", worked hard and partied hard. I've seen more than one man lose it on the approach to landing on a carrier. We all have our challenges, but we are different because we tried and we succeeded. Those who never tried will never know the pride we earned.
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As a former paratrooper myself, I can say with full confidence that there is no group of people I've served with since that ever came close to measuring up. It's a different bond. People that have never worn the 82nd or 173rd patch on their shoulder will never understand. A paratrooper is full of themselves, and they have a right to be. They will go father, and fight harder, and lay down their life for a friend faster than any other person you will meet. It's not just a qualification, it's a mindset. Airborne. All the way. H-Minus!
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SGT Patrick Gaebelein
Wholly agree. I spent a good deal of time with the leg army, and most dont come close to measuring up to an airborne unit. The training, esprit de corps, the seriousness, the closeness . Yes, paratroopers are full of themselves. In the end, that matters. They have a lot to live up to, and they constantly try to do so.
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SPC Wayne Brown
SPC Wayne Brown - I'd like to add that I still have my blood wings. I was number 39 in jump school and I came to believe that Fort Benning in August 1963 with the temperature and humidity, was hell on earth. I know that things have really changed since those days and I'd like to hear some stories about that. We wore the Fidel Castro style stiff fatigue hats while the instructors wore Blue baseball caps. They could and did, hit us and cuss us. The saw dust pits for PT were killer. Viet Nam was just beginning to heat up and as there were few casualties at that time, there was not a huge demand for airborne troops. I think that after I went through things got a whole lot easier because of the demand for bodies. There were 12 Marine Recon students mixed into my Army
class and only one made it through.
class and only one made it through.
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SPC Jeffrey Stone
SGT Dan Gray - The 82nd Div was Around long b4 the 101. They also were fought in North Africa and performed Airborne Combat Ops in Sicily and Italy. The 101st airborne’s first combat was Normandy. In no way am I trying to diminish their accomplishments. They were the heroes at Bastogne.
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PRIDE!!!
I was lucky and went to Jump School right out of OCS. Thank goodness I was in physical shape and the harassment level was already high. However, I thought I had heard it all...wrong...the instructors had a new "language", new techniques of "hazing", and for a brand new 2LT, wellll.
Airborne is a special breed of soldier. Proud of the accomplishment they obtained. Proud of their fellow airborne.
All the Way!!
De Oppresso Liber.
I was lucky and went to Jump School right out of OCS. Thank goodness I was in physical shape and the harassment level was already high. However, I thought I had heard it all...wrong...the instructors had a new "language", new techniques of "hazing", and for a brand new 2LT, wellll.
Airborne is a special breed of soldier. Proud of the accomplishment they obtained. Proud of their fellow airborne.
All the Way!!
De Oppresso Liber.
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Airborne wings does not make the Soldier. Many Soldiers that volunteer for jump school think all they're going to do is jump, recover their chutes, then go home or back to their units. Most of them don't know they will often times have carry-on missions that keep them awake; exhausted, wet, cold, and hungry. I believe there are more Soldiers that want to stop jump status than those that want to keep it. That said, Soldiers that have the desire to jump into battle are definitely worthy of the title Paratrooper. I would trust those men and women that go the extra mile, because they often do it without question, without asking, "Are we there yet? When can we sleep? When can we eat? When can we set up tents? When can we wash up? So to answer your question, for some it is nothing more than being in the proper uniform, simply because that Soldier is in an airborne unit. For the brave men and women that do it without hesitation, it's a symbol of distinction that says " You can sleep tonight worry free."
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SGT William Ek
We were all in it together , D-Co 1/506 101st Abn 67-68 RVN Tet. By the way what is a tent ? Haaa
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If done right, airborne wings is more than just a badge or another school on your ERB/ORB. It is a way of life. It is a mentality. I had a staff sergeant who went from E1 to E6 as airborne then being assigned to a leg unit after going to civil affairs explain it to me this way during one of our talks-- Airborne soldiers are better because they have to go through one more level of vetting. A soldier who joins is usually better than an average civilian. A soldier who goes airborne is usually better than the average soldier. An airborne soldier who goes Ranger is usually better than the average airborne soldier. So on and so forth.
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SP5 Larry Morris
If a man joins airborne then goes too ranger school then does jungle school mountain training and on and on then you no he is trying to be the best screw the rest if they don't try
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MSG (Join to see)
Can airborne snowshoe, cross country ski all with kit, can airborne scale mountains covered in snow, can airborne SERE in sub zero weather and terrain, there are other units that have special purpose in all branches, and those units have their own comradery just as tight as airborne but without the bling and special pay, it's just a job
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As a paratrooper who never wore the 82d patch (173rd wasn't in existence during my time) I did wear the Special Forces psych and I see all people with the parachutist badge as a cut above regardless of what patch they wear.
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SGT (Join to see)
My thought is more like: "Another soldier who jumps out of 'perfectly good' aircraft, that are going to LAND somewhere".
"Perfectly good aircraft": It's still in the air and the engines are still running!
All of my "jumps" were out of 'perfectly good' helicopters on a ROPE and I didn't even get the Air Assault Badge, or the opportunity to earn one!
"Perfectly good aircraft": It's still in the air and the engines are still running!
All of my "jumps" were out of 'perfectly good' helicopters on a ROPE and I didn't even get the Air Assault Badge, or the opportunity to earn one!
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SGT (Join to see)
Do Crossfitters except the fact that they may be called on to rapidly deploy and to serve in non-permissive environments?
I think there's a slight difference in doing a kipping pull-up with horrible form and jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft and accomplishing the mission when you reach the ground.
I think you mistake our pride for arrogance.
I think there's a slight difference in doing a kipping pull-up with horrible form and jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft and accomplishing the mission when you reach the ground.
I think you mistake our pride for arrogance.
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SFC (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) No, but 10th MTN, and 101 do. So, your “oh yeah?!” statement at the beginning of your comment isn’t specifically applicable to airborne units.
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Everyone man and woman who puts on the uniform deserves respect for what they do for their country. Paratroopers bring it a bit further in a different way by not only conquering one of man's oldest fears, but using it as a strategic advantage.
Got my Blood Wings in 2002 and getting my Israeli jump wings is still one of my favourite stories!
"People ask me all the time why I would jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I respond that I would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane; these are military aircraft!"
Got my Blood Wings in 2002 and getting my Israeli jump wings is still one of my favourite stories!
"People ask me all the time why I would jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I respond that I would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane; these are military aircraft!"
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It is a very common school. I really don't think Airborne teaches you to be a better soldier. It does give you another skill.
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CPT (Join to see)
MAJ Keira Brennan - Thanks. Just between us I tried to be a POG. I had Signal as my first choice when I commissioned. It didn't get that way. Being a prior infantry squad leader cast my fate. But if I was a POG I would proudly claim that title as I do infantry right now.
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MSG (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) - just like mountain warfare, artic warfare, jungle and desert schools they add to your skills not how to be a better soldier
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I praise them for their courage at first for jumping out of a perfectly tin can and then I assumed that they should be kind of squared away. I'm not always right though.
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SGT Jeremiah B.
I'm not sure what's braver: Landing in that tin can or jumping out and taking your chances with a 'chute. I much, much preferred risking the chute. haha
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
Agreed, an Airborne troop that is a DUD, is a greater dud than a regular leg Soldier!
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Cpl Thomas Woods
Having gone down in a CH53, I'll take my chances with 30 lbs of "silk" overhead rather than land with all that aluminum,and FUEL!.....And remember-There is NO SUCH THING as a "perfectly good aircraft": They ALL have the same problem-GRAVITY!....Root word GRAVE...I'm not going there just yet....STAND (or SIT) IN THE DOOR!.......GO!!
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