Navy Wings?

Bill Baker wrote:
On 2007-01-19 08:34:22 -0800, Ed Rasimus said:

[...]
Although the USAF didn't have truly "excess" capability, they could
absorb a bit of the load for the Navy. We took one USMC student per
class (8 classes per year) per base (10 bases). The Marines went
through the full and complete USAF UPT syllabus (T-41/T-37/T-38) and
upon graduation were awarded USAF pilot wings.

[...]

A number of these Navy pilot candidates were given the opportunity for
inter-service transfers and were picked up by the USAF where they
completed UPT.

Given the numbers you say the Navy cut, at least some of the pilots
given the chop must have been Marine sticks, right Ed? Which means,
presumably, that before UPT they would have gotten at least a good dose
of the "Every Marine is a rifleman!" USMC ethos in Corps OCS, if not
four years of it in NROTC. Must have been an interesting for these
guys to find themselves abruptly in the Air Force. I'm imagining a
freshly-winged butter bar in USAF dress blues except with a high 'n
tight, blood stripe on the trousers and a boarding sabre on his hip.

Did these guys even have a blue uniform? I had an exchange tour with
the USAF, as an IP, 61st TFS/13th TFTS and even the COC(change of
Command-Papy Fero for the one and only Mike Ryan-future COS of the
USAF) was in zoom bags. I didn't put my 'uniform' on for 2 years, even
when I was in trouble for wearing brown boots and a leather flight
jacket.


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These were GOLD wings, not Silver!
"Mike Kanze" wrote in message . ..
During the Vietnam era a number of USMC flight students went through the USAF pilot training pipeline as an expediency. Thus it would not be surprising to hear of a serving General officer still sporting Wings of Lead, especially if his later flying career (C-130s, for example) never took him in the vicinity of El Boat or required him to carqual.

If they were gold, the "star" may in fact have been a deployed parachute, i.e., Naval Parachutist.

--
Mike Kanze

"There's a fine line between evil and underpaid."

- Carol The Secretary, Dilbert (1/14/2007)

"nmg175" wrote in message . ..
Saw a B/G Marine with what appeared to be Navy Pilot Wings on his tunic on
C-SPAN.

But these were different, they had a Star in the middle, looked very similar
to the U.S. Air Force Senior Pilot wings.

Have they gone to this approach, with Command Pilot also?

Or where these some sort of other Aeronautical Speciality?

Thanks for all the informative replies.

vince norris

nmg175 wrote:
Saw a B/G Marine with what appeared to be Navy Pilot Wings on his tunic on
C-SPAN.

But these were different, they had a Star in the middle, looked very similar
to the U.S. Air Force Senior Pilot wings.

Have they gone to this approach, with Command Pilot also?

Or where these some sort of other Aeronautical Speciality?

If not really a star, could have been aircrew wings, from a former
enlisted life..did USMC have aircrew wings?

BUT, USN hasn't sullied the Gold wings with goofy stars and I doubt any
USN/USMC aviator would sully his unisform with USAF or USA wings.

On 18 Jan 2007 06:13:14 -0800, "qui si parla Campagnolo"
postulated :

If not really a star, could have been aircrew wings, from a former
enlisted life..did USMC have aircrew wings?

Yep; I earned mine in May of 1957 NATTC Memphis, TN. and I have the
scars to prove it.