Vietnam origin of the Air Assault Badge -- MESSAGE BOARD-AIR ASSAULT PARITY COALITION

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Date Posted: 15:31:40 03/23/11 Wed
Author: Jack R. Rickman, Major, US Army Retired (GI Jack)
Subject: Vietnam origin of the Air Assault Badge

In 1971, more than forty years ago, I was at Camp Eagle near Hue in South Vietnam in the 101sr Airborne Division. I was assigned by the division G3 the task of designing an air mobile badge. Upon completion of the staff study I delivered it in to the division G-3. With the study were hand drawn illustrations of an Airmobile Badge, along with embroidered cloth badges. The badge was deliberately designed to reflect the glider badge of WW II. The hand drawn images I did freehand using as models a parachute badge and a helicopter drawing taken from a military manual. The cloth badges were done by a Vietnamese tailor. One of the cloth badges had a gold colored rotor blade as an alternative design. The hand drawn badge had visable struts. In the text it was suggested that they would probably be impractical on a real badge. I promptly forgot about the study. I thought "Nobody is going to okay a badge for riding to work in a helicopter." I am pleased to have been wrong about that. I was unaware that the 101st was wearing the badge until 7 February 1974 when the Ft. Bragg post newspaper, The Paraglide,published an article making the announcement. I was astonished but delighted. I am very proud to have been the person most directly responsible for designing the AIR ASSAULT BADGE. I deeply regret not having had the opportunity to earn the badge before I reitred.

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