Aircrew Badge
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The Aircrew Badge is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on board military aircraft. The badge is intended to recognize the training and qualifications required by aircrew of military aircraft. In order to qualify as an aircrew member and receive the Aircrew Badge, such personnel typically undergo advanced training in aircraft in-flight support roles.
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[edit] Army
The first version of the Aircrew Badge was issued by the Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The badge was similar in design to the Aviator Badge, however, and displayed an emblem denoting enlisted status on its circular shield, or escutcheon, centered between two wings. The emblem featured the arms of the United States of America, in clear relief generally against a horizontally lined background, on a disk with a raised rim.
Anyone trained in flight operations was authorized to wear this badge, including pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners. The badge was also awarded to certain ground personnel at the discretion of their commanding officer. Non-crewmembers eligible for the badge were individuals with flying status such as aircraft maintenance supervisors and technical inspectors. For example, aircrew badges were issued to Automatic Flight Control Equipment (A.F.C.E.) and Bombsight Shop maintenance personnel and others essential to "keep 'em flying" who flew in maintenance flights but who did not actually take part in combat missions during World War II.
With the creation of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of service in 1947, the Army was left without an Aircrew Badge until the Korean War. At that time, to recognize the continued use of Army aviation, the Aircraft Crewman Badge was created. The badge was issued in three degrees: Basic, Master, and Senior. The level of seniority depended on the number of flight hours obtained and years of service in the United States Army.
On February 29, 2000, the Department of the Army officially changed the name of the Aircraft Crewman Badge to the Army Aviation Badge. The badge itself was not altered; however, the change was made retroactive to 1947, requiring updates to military records upon request from the military service member.
Although the Army Aviation Badge is intended for enlisted personnel, in rare cases the decoration is awarded to officers.
For non-rated Army officers who qualify for the Astronaut Badge, but have not yet participated in a qualifying spaceflight, the Army Aviation Badge may be awarded with the astronaut emblem appearing on the central shield.
[edit] Air Force
The Air Force Aircrew Badge is a direct successor to the Army Air Forces version of the decoration. Originally known simply as the Aircrew Badge, the Air Force began issuing the decoration to enlisted Aircrew members in 1947. By the time of the Korean War, regulations had been established for a senior and master version of the badge, indicated by a star and wreath above the decoration. As with the Army Aviator Badge, seniority of the Aircrew Badge was determined by flight hours obtained and years of service in the Air Force.
With the decline of the Observer Badge, a need quickly arose to award an Aircrew Badge to officers who had been trained as in-flight support personnel. By the time of the Vietnam War, the Air Force had created an Officer Aircrew Badge which was issued to non-rated officers trained for in-flight operations. The enlisted version of the Aircrew Badge remained the same, but was now referred to as the Enlisted Aircrew Badge.
In the modern United States Air Force, the Enlisted Aircrew Badge is still issued; however, the Officer Aircrew Badge is rarely awarded (usually to flight test engineers and a few communications, weather, and intelligence officers, depending on assignment). The number of officers awarded the Aircrew Badge dropped considerably in 1999, when Air Battle Managers became a rated career field.
[edit] Navy-Marine Corps-Coast Guard
The United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard issue the same version of the Aircrew Badge. The badge is a variation on the Naval Aviation Observer Badge with the letters AC centered on the badge’s front.
Known respectively as the Naval Aircrew Badge and Coast Guard Aircrew Badge, it is authorized for personnel who have undergone extensive training in flight operations of naval aircraft. Such training includes weapons management, electronic warfare, and water survival.
The Naval and Coast Guard Aircrew Badges are issued in a single degree with no upgrade devices authorized. A Naval enlisted person who has qualified for his or her Naval Aircrew Badge places the initials "NAC" in parentheses after his or her rate and rating; for example, a Chief Cryptologic Technician Interpretive, after having qualified for her NAC Badge, is identified as a CTIC(NAC). Officer Aircrew members are Naval Flight Officers, and receive the Naval Flight Officer Badge.
In addition to the standard Naval Air Crew Badge the Marine Corps also issue the Marine Combat Aircrew Badge. It is a decoration of the United States Marine Corps which is awarded to those enlisted personnel who have served as crew members on board combat flights.
For those who have participated in actual combat missions, bronze service stars are worn pinned to the top of the decoration. A maximum of three such stars may be displayed, one for every 20 hours of logged flight in a designated combat zone, in addition to the 20 for initially being awarded the Combat Aircrew Badge.
The Marine Combat Aircrew Badge can be issued to service members of both the Marines and United States Navy (while serving in a Marine squadron). Previously, recipients were required to first qualify for the Naval Aircrew Badge before they could be issued the Marine Combat Aircrew Badge; however, current regulations only require a set number of combat 'points' to be earned before wear is authorized. If both insignias have been earned, which insignia is worn is up to the wearer's discretion, but it is not unauthorized to wear both badges at the same time. A Naval enlisted person who has qualified for the Combat Aircrew Badge and at least one gold star places the initials "CAC" in parentheses after his rate and rating; for example, a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, after having qualified for her CAC Badge, is identified as a HM2(CAC).
