Parachutist Badge (United States)

Parachutist Badge
Basic Parachutist Badge (Issued by the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, & Navy)
Awarded by United States Armed Forces
Type	Badge
Awarded for	Airborne training course
Status	Currently awarded
Statistics
Last awarded	Currently awarded
Army Precedence
Next (higher)	Expert Field Medical Badge
Next (lower)	Parachute Rigger Badge

The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Silver Wings" is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. The United States Coast Guard is the only branch that does not issue its own Parachutist Badge, but its members are authorized to receive the Parachutist Badges of other services in accordance with their prescribed requirements. The DoD military services are all awarded the same Basic Parachutist Badge. The Army and Air Force issue the same Senior and Master Parachutist Badges while the Navy and Marine Corps issue the Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge to advanced parachutists. The majority of the services earn their Basic Parachutist Badge through the U.S. Army Airborne School.

The Army's Basic Parachutist Badge is awarded to all military personnel of any service who complete the US Army Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. It signifies that the soldier is a trained military parachutist, and is qualified to participate in airborne operations. The badge and its sew-on equivalent may be worn on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU).

The original Army Parachutist Badge was designed in 1941 by Captain (later Lieutenant General) William P. Yarborough and approved by the Department of the Army in March of that year. The Parachutist Badge replaced the "Parachutist Patch" which had previously been worn as a large patch on the side of a paratrooper's garrison cap. LTG Yarborough also designed the Senior and Master Parachutist Badges and the addition of stars to portray the number of combat jumps. The flash that is worn behind the badge is also a contribution of William P. Yarborough.