GI JR Paratrooper

[all-bull]

Hey guys,

This came out of a 187th vet's grouping. I have reason to believe he spent some time in Korea or Japan, and would like to know more about this wing. When was it made, and where was it made? It is pretty low quality but does have character to it. Any help would be great. Thanks!

[all-bull]

back

[Captainofthe7th]

Really nice! Looks sand cast to me. That little ball on the tip of the chute must be where they poured into the mold.

 

The 187th made two jumps in Korea so the two stars probably reflect that.

 

Rob

[Tonomachi]

I believe this was made from an early toy for children that had a tab on top with the wording GI JR PARATROOPER. Someone has cut off the tab and added the arrow head and stars.

[Allan H.]

I believe this was made from an early toy for children that had a tab on top with the wording GI JR PARATROOPER. Someone has cut off the tab and added the arrow head and stars.

 

I agree with the design, but the one's I am thinking of were stamped brass. Perhaps this was a permutation of the stamped brass? That large ball on the base of the shroud lines really made me say "Junior Paratrooper" the second I saw it.

 

Allan

[17thairborne]

The ball does look like the jr. Paratrooper, but here is an example of that from a Manion's Auction. COuld have been a cast using the tin shape as a mold.

 

oz

 

[all-bull]

Thanks for the info. This is a not a junior paratrooper wing. There are absolutely no places where a tab has ever been. Like I said, all of this came straight from a 187th vet, including scrapbooks, 50s era 101st and 187th patches, and some rough looking Korean and Chinese medals and insignia. The badge is not what I would really call "sand-cast", but definitely has more heft than the pressed Junior wings shown. My badge will also stick to a magnet. Hope some of this helps. Thanks!

[Tonomachi]

Here are photographs of the toy paratrooper wing with the above tab of GI JR PARATROOPER. This looks like an identical match with your wing except the tab has been removed, arrow head & stars added as well as a coating of paint. If you look at the back of your wing is sure looks like the tab was cut off. The 187th RCT vet could have modified one of these toy wings to match his wing to give to his children.

[Tonomachi]

Back

[jcsoup]

Back

 

The pins certainly look identical. The owner could have made his own wings to wear. If they came out of the vets stuff it is unlikely that he made them to give to a child or they would not have ended up back with his stuff. I actually have homemade attachments on my ribbons because I couldn't find the right ones for sale anywhere. If someone found them in the future they would scratch their heads about them.

[all-bull]

Tonomachi,

I apologize. I had never seen a version of the GI Jr that was made like yours. I think I may see blemishes on the BACK of the wing where the tab may have been removed. I had assumed it was attached at the top, but it was not. My set even has the small circles on the back like yours if you look close enough.

 

I assume he would have never actually worn this, correct? Just a keepsake for him or his wife?

 

Whats the history of the GI Jr wing anyway? Just a child's plaything?

 

Thanks everyone so much!

[17thairborne]

Tonomachi,

Thanks for posting. i am learning more every day! :thumbsup:

 

Oz

[Tonomachi]

Tonomachi,

I apologize. I had never seen a version of the GI Jr that was made like yours. I think I may see blemishes on the BACK of the wing where the tab may have been removed. I had assumed it was attached at the top, but it was not. My set even has the small circles on the back like yours if you look close enough.

 

I assume he would have never actually worn this, correct? Just a keepsake for him or his wife?

 

Whats the history of the GI Jr wing anyway? Just a child's plaything?

 

Thanks everyone so much!

 

Sorry but I have no background information on these toy GI JR PARATROOPER wings. I bought mine in the late 80s. My guess is they came out post war probably 50s to 60s. As for why the vet modified the toy wing I have no idea.

[Allan H.]

Tonomachi,

I apologize. I had never seen a version of the GI Jr that was made like yours. I think I may see blemishes on the BACK of the wing where the tab may have been removed. I had assumed it was attached at the top, but it was not. My set even has the small circles on the back like yours if you look close enough.

 

I assume he would have never actually worn this, correct? Just a keepsake for him or his wife?

 

Whats the history of the GI Jr wing anyway? Just a child's plaything?

 

Thanks everyone so much!

 

All-Bull,

I was under the impression by your initial post that you were asking for opinions and for information, which I believe you received. Our impressions of the wing was that it was a GI Junior Paratrooper wing design. I find it quite interesting that the wing had added stars and an arrowhead and that it was received directly from the veteran. Those are all very compeeling signs that the wing is what it was possibly worn in the configuaration that we see in your photographs. I do believe that we have pretty well determined the basis for the wing design as being that of the GI Junior Paratrooper.

 

Here are a couple of interesting points, I would like to add. After the end of World War II, there were a number of paratroopers who had begun to amass rather impressive numbers of jumps and there was a desire by many of these men to have a "Century Jumper" wing made to denote 100 jumps being completed. The desire was for the standard wing design to be executed in gold to show that the wearer had made a lofty (sorry for the pun) number of jumps. The gold Century wing was strictly unofficial, but I have known a couple of veterans who not only met the required number of jumps, but actually wore gold wings on their uniforms (even though they were unofficial). One wing that I have in my collection has been gold plated over the standard sterling wing. Another that I have has had a heavy gold laquer applied to a wing. Of course, by 1951, the army had determined that a star would be added for Senior parachutists and a star and wreath would be added for those acquiring Master status. My understandin is that the army did not want to authorize a gold badge as gold badges were used by the navy.

 

It is quite possible that your wing started out as a GI Junior Paratrooper and that the owner just used it as a gold wing to denote the high number of jumps. I don't think anybody here said that your wing was a fake, just that it wasn't a standard wing.

 

My final point is that I believe that the GI Junior Paratrooper wings could date to the tail end of World War II when metal rationing and restricted use began to loosen up.

 

Allan

[all-bull]

Allan,

Thanks a lot for your response. Like I said, the only GI Jr I was ever familiar with was the pressed one. So I learned a bunch of new things from this thread. One of the many reasons why I like this forum. A lot of the photos in the album had the soldiers wearing their jump wings on the Mitchell caps, but none of the pictures were close enough to help me see details (plus they were black and white photographs). It's always amazing how much soldiers could, or at least try to, get away with. Thanks a lot for everything, everyone!

 

I'll have to seriously think about adding a GI Junior Paratrooper wing to my collection now, ha!

[Allan H.]

I'll have to seriously think about adding a GI Junior Paratrooper wing to my collection now, ha!

 

I have one in with all of my WWII vintage parachute and glider wings. They are as much a part of the airborne story as anything else out there.

 

Allan

[468abnarm]

Believe thses were a cereal box prize during late WW I I

[1944]

Thats a Great looking set of wings there :thumbsup:

and they came from a box of cereal ?

[turmanator]

Are they made of tin?

[468abnarm]

Are they made of tin?

 

Yes they are tin , I will post the reverse shortly

[468abnarm]

here is the back

[craig_pickrall]

I don't recall ever seeing one of those before. Very nice set.

[APO472]

I merged the topic of the 187th wing with this one as these just both popped up and are discussing the same style wing.

[Allan H.]

I merged the topic of the 187th wing with this one as these just both popped up and are discussing the same style wing.

 

Jake,

As you wnet ahead and merged two topics, why don't you move this over to the Wings forum?

Allan

[navynambu]

I've got a couple of the "Jr. GI" "slush metal' wings in the "Sweetheart" part of my jump wing collection. They came in 2 colors that I have seen, goldish and silverish. I have seen nothing difinitive as to whether they were ceral box giveaways or just sold in toy store, but there is a ceral box collectos website I saw a few years ago which spoke of them and said they were cereal box items (WWII era) so those cereal box item collectors were collecting them too. Rollie