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1954-2008 U.S.Air Force Academy cadet rank


hhbooker2
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"GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS!" Something you almost never see offered for sale, that would be the cadet shoulder ranks of the United States Air Force Academy. There are twenty-four of them for Cadet Airmen, Cadet NCOs, and Cadet Officers. I got lucky and found pictures of all of them and would like to share that knowledge here with othger forum members. ENJOY! thumbsup.gif Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ( [email protected] )

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Here are the remaining 12 USAF Academy cadet ranks. think.gif 1) Cadet 4th Class Unranked 2) Cadet 3rd Class Unranked 3) Cadet 3rd Class Staff Sergeant 4) Cadet 3rd Class Flight Sergeant 5) Cadet 2nd Class Unranked 6) Cadet 2nd Class Technical Sergeant 7) Cadet 2nd Class Master Sergeant 8) Cadet 2nd Class Group NCO 9) Cadet 2nd Class Wing NCO 10) Cadet 2nd Class First Sergeant 11) Cadet 2nd Class Group Superintendent 12) Cadet 2nd Class Wing Superintendent 13) Cadet First Class Unranked 14) Cadet First Class Second Lieutenant 15) Cadet First Class First Lieutenant 16) Cadet First Class Captain 17) Cadet First Class Flight Commander 18) Cadet First Class Major 19) Cadet First Class Team Captain 20) Cadet First Class Lieutenant Colonel 21) Cadet First Class Wing Honor Chairman 22) Cadet First Class Group Commander Colonel 23? Cadet First Class Vice Wing Commander Colonel 24) Cadet First Class Wing Commander Colonel. think.gif

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  • 2 years later...
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I just got some pairs of the shoulder marks for the US Air Force Academy today. The rank system is simpler than it looks. The complication comes in with the devices added to the ranks for various positions.

 

The rank system is stratified by academic year. The freshmen come in and are considered Fourth Class cadets. The highest attainable rank is simply Cadet Airman. They wear the shoulder rank with the zigzag line only.

 

Sophomores are Third Class Cadets and can only attain the rank of Cadet SSgt.

 

The ones shown here are the two grades of Third Class Cadets: (R to L) Unranked Cadet 3rd Class and Cadet SSgt. I don't know what the star represents on the one SSgt rank.

 

-Ski

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Juniors are Second Class Cadets and represent the Senior NCO's of the Academy. They can be Unranked (Two lines) or TSgt to CMSgt.

 

Here are some of those ranks. R to L: Unranked Cadet Second Class, Cadet TSgt, Wing Command Chief MSgt.

 

Cadet MSgt is thick, thin, thick , Cadet SMSgt is three stripes.

 

-Ski

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Of course, seniors fill all of the officer billets and are First Class Cadets. They can be Unranked all of the way to Cadet Colonel.

 

Here they are. Bottom to top, R to L:

 

Cadet 2nd LT

Cadet 1st LT

Cadet Captain

Cadet Major

Cadet Lt Colonel

Cadet Colonel

Group Commander, Cadet Colonel

Vice Wing Commander, Cadet Colonel

 

Hopefully, that helps explaining the ranks. There are more out there.....

 

-Ski

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A lot of different USAFA rank insignia are offered at

http://www.manions.com/bid/bid.aspx~itemid...47~pic~20100505

 

I know the USAFA rank insignia with metal devices as shown in picture #1, but what do you know about the handembroidered ranks #2?

 

Thanks for any information

Michael

 

MICHAEL: Years ago there was no place to find the cadet ranks except at an off-post tailor shop that made their own chart, they gave me a copy, thankfully and I re-illustrated it all and published it in about 1990 to 1995 on thereabouts in "Phoenix Militartia." I did know they went through many changes from when the Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Spring, Colorado - was there at Fort Carson in July 1959. There was another type with flat metal stars and bars in oxidised aluminum as well, did you know? I suspect they had really nice epaulettes for the parade dress uniform and lesser quality for their every day service uniform. Years ago, about 1977 or 1978 I worked for Anstec-Dunker Co., for Albert Novinger Schultz sewing leather military and cowboy belts and holsters as he catered to re-enactors for the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. Manufaturers in Sialkot (Pakistan) and they sent their samples that included a USAF Academy Cadet boards (epaulettes), obviously someone bought them and re-sold them to the Cadets? Accidently ran a large needle through the bone on my left thumb - very painful experience! Al was in bankruptcy when I hired on in Charlotte, North Carolina and told none of us his plans until the last day. Caught a Continental Trailways Bus to Akron, Ohio and left there as there were Christmas lay-offs and went back to L.A., California and passed through Las Vegas on New Year's day (night) and off-loaded same day in Los Angeles. Was hired by Wolf-Brown Inc., they are now defunct, they were at 606 Bonnie Brae Street. Most of the distributors sold USAF Academy insignia as well as the armed forces and their reserves. Tried to get work at Western Cosume and displayed too much knowledge of the subject and asked why was I willing to work for minimum wages? Sarge Booker of Tujunga :w00t:

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"... Something you almost never see offered for sale, that would be the cadet shoulder ranks of the United States Air Force Academy."

 

:crying: Man oh man, that is a fact! I keep looking though...

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