ROTC Metal Insignia

[SARGE]

Gents,

 

Here are a few examples of vintage ROTC metal insignia.  There are two different styles of metal insignia shown for the peaked cap and two sets of rank insignia with one on the original card.  There were also round metal rank insignia as well as the diamond shape style.

 

Anyone with more ROTC metal insignia to show?

 

[kfields]

This is a WW1 era photo postcard of Wilbert Kopel from Iowa. He was born in 1904-ish so I suspect he was 13-14-15 years old when the photo was taken. His peaked cap brass is subdued but you can see the similar type ROTC banner across the top of the eagle. I don't know what organization he belonged too. The original image is a bit fuzzy to begin with so I've been unable to see exactly what letters are there.

Kim

 

[SARGE]

Nice photograph Kim.  I can't quite make out what his cap badge says either.  I have seen ROTC, as well as State designations, in an arc above the eagle head so there are several things that your guy could have there as an identifier.  I can't make out his collar brass either.

 

 

[kfields]

Thanks Sarge. It's a nice image. Unfortunately the original image is fuzzy-soft so I can't bring out anymore detail under magnification. BUT at least I know who he is and he is on find-a-grave. The photo has a Dubuque photographers mark impressed into the paper.

[S.ChrisKelly]

Army...

Davidson College:

1) patch, upper left, circa 1970s -1980s, 2) patch, upper right, circa 1950s, 3) D.I.s, N.S. Meyer/M22, 4) ribbons, circa 1970s - 1980s [left side, cumulative academic excellence, one year, right side, academic excellence, one semester], 5) chevrons for cadet private, circa 1980s, 6) patch, lower center, subdued, 1970s - 1980s.

7) U.S. Army sharpshooter cross with rifle bar, L.I.G.I. hallmark...  Our first awards, Chipyong-ni Range, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, March 1988, 8) 5.56 NATO bullets, defused and inert!

 

Picture of Lordship Industries hallmarked clutchbacks, from rear posts of item 7.

 

Three photographs of me during that Spring 1988 FTX.  The bottom photograph is the open M60 range at Fort Jackson.  I was only in ROTC for one trimester.  The following school year, 1988 - 1989, Davidson College switched to the semester system.

 

 

[USMCR79]

My Wife's Uncle was a Drama Professor at Davidson around that time ....Nice campus - we visited him a few times there, he owned an Old Victorian House next to the Cemetery!!

 

Bill

[S.ChrisKelly]

Air Force ROTC, standard, circa 1970s - 1980s.

Top: Women's cap badge, commissioned officer [posts-and-clutches on the reverse]. Women AFROTC POC cadets were authorized this badge for the issue blue women's beret, and the women's blue service cap, derisively known as the "bucket cap".

Bottom: left, GMC flight cap/blue beret insignia, right, POC flight cap insignia. Both hallmarked L.I.G.I.

 

Both men and women were issued gender - specific flight caps, which differed only in shape and fit. GMC [General Military Course/Cadet] was freshman/sophomore year, and were "cadet enlisted", and POC [Professional Officer Course/Cadet] was junior/senior year, and were "cadet officers".

 

These insignia were worn by college/university AFROTC cadets during (my) time, 1988 - 1991, AFROTC Det. OL590A, later to become AFROTC Det. 592, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

[S.ChrisKelly]

More AFROTC insignia, obverse and reverse.  Circa 1970s - 1980s, the "silver oxide/oxidized" finish was what was generally issued and worn, 98.6% of the time.  The wings are for navigator candidate, and the "pocket rocket" is for missileer.  

 

These were college/university level "senior AFROTC" badges, until at least the 1990s.

[S.ChrisKelly]

For reference:

 

1) The women's beret with officer's cap badge, standard issue in addition to the flight cap, and the service dress "bucket" cap. The berets are no longer issued, and the service caps are rarely seen anymore.

2) Standard issue general officer's belt buckle, circa 1960s - 1990s, which inspired the POC cap badge.

 

From: 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165667148331

https://usafflagranks.com/usaf_service_dress_coat_uniform.html

 

[S.ChrisKelly]

Close-up of the previously posted Davidson College insignia:  D.I.s left and center, N.S. Meyer/9M, D.I. on the right, N.S. Meyer/22M.  Clutchbacks are original to the D.I.s, and hallmarked "Made in USA".

 

[S.ChrisKelly]

Addendum:  "Ne Ultra", and the centerpiece, is from the Davidson College crest.  A rough translation is "none higher".  "Parati sed Paci" is the Davidson College ROTC department's motto, and it's English translation is "Prepared but (for) Peace."

[Scott C.]

Here's what I kept - can't believe I still have it: San Diego State University AFROTC Det 075, 1980-1982. I have no idea what the ribbons represent, nor recall what I did to earn the medal. The blue & yellow fourragère was for membership in something called 'The Arnold Air Society', an extracurricular club/association. 

[S.ChrisKelly]

The blue and gold fourragere is for AFROTC Arnold Air Society members, worn on the service dress coat.

 

The shoulder boards are for the AFROTC rank of cadet major, and are worn on the service dress coat.

 

The wings are AFROTC solo pilot, generally for those with a pilot allocation going for fighter pilot training (UPT - undergraduate pilot training).  Pilot wings without the star are awarded to those going to UPT for multi - engine aircraft.

 

The ribbon bar, left to right is as follows: Arnold Air Society Membership Ribbon, Academic Award Ribbon (Field Training only - not to be confused with the Acamemic Honors Award ribbon, which is white, and awarded for college/university GPA of 3.5 or higher) and AFROTC Meritorious Service Award Ribbon.  The second ribbon (in the middle) may be obsolete for AFROTC now.

 

In the case is a G.M.C. (General Military Course - AFROTC cadet enlisted) flight cap badge and an American Legion General Military Excellence Award Medal in silver and its accompanying ribbon bar. The G.M.C. cap badge has been replaced as an AFROTC flight cap badge by a silver wing-and-prop badge (worn by both cadet enlisted and cadet officers in AFROTC), which looks exactly like Second World War USAAF officers' branch insignia (except that badge had gold wings), and is now worn exclusively as a flight cap badge for cadet enlisted AFJROTC.

 

The Arnold Air Society is basically an AFROTC fraternity, and its members are also automatically admitted to the Air Force Association (now the Air and Space Forces Association).  The AAS is a prestigious, professional organization that is basically the officer cadet wing of the AFA.  Membership is only open to AFROTC cadets and cadets at the Air Force Academy.

[S.ChrisKelly]

These were mine when I was a member of AFROTC Det 592, University of North Carolina - Charlotte, 1989 - 1991.

 

Top:  P.O.C. (Professional Officer Course) flight cap badge.  Now obsolete for AFROTC and worn exclusively as cadet officer flight cap badge by AFJROTC.

 

Middle:  From left to right, AFROTC Honor Flight Ribbon, AFROTC Scholarship Ribbon (mine was a Category 1 full scholarship, for 2&1/2 years) and AFROTC Recruiting Ribbon.  All "department" awards (awarded at the detachment level).

 

Bottom: AFROTC Missile Officer candidate badge, authorized for P.O.C. only.  G.M.C. who were missile officer candidates wore a green ribbon with yellow edges and a gold "M" device, which was exchanged for this badge upon completion of Field Training and entry into the P.O.C. as a cadet second lieutenant.  My final rank was cadet captain, and my "pocket rocket" was revoked in September 1990 when I was recategorized from missile to non - technical for medical, not punitive, reasons.  

 

The "oxidized" finish badges have long since been officially replaced by "sta - brite"/anodized/chrome finish badges, so these are definitely 1970s - early 1990s badges.  Another hallmark of the bygone era...  Both my badges are hallmarked "L.I.G.I" (Lordship Industries), which went out of business after they lost their government contract(s) sometime in 1996.

[Scott C.]

Wow, thanks for the explanation of my medal and ribbon bar!  And indeed, I have been an Air Force Association/Air & Space Forces Association member since joining the Arnold Air Society. If I remember correctly, in addition to the ribbon and fourragère, there was an Arnold Air Society pin worn on the uniform as well, but that had to be turned in just before graduation. 

 

It should be noted that the ROTC wing (basic or with star) did not determine the type of aircraft I would fly after completing Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT); that was determined by actual flight proficiency during UPT itself, with final aircraft type assignments handed out just weeks prior to UPT graduation.

[S.ChrisKelly]

For Scott C.:

 

You're not the only one surprised.

Images below of what I found in my old AFROTC cache...  A rank I never held.

 

Insofar as the pilot wings, I saw; 1) without star, "pilot" and 2) with star, "senior pilot" and "flight certificate". I don't know what that means.

 

Images:

1) AFROTC cadet major, soft/slip-on rank for blue shirt.

2) These ranks were manufactured in December 1980, by Guayanbo Handcraft Corporation, under contract to the USAF.

[Scott C.]

I assume 'Flight Certificate' meant passing the ROTC flight screening program. In my time, that program consisted of 10 flight hours at the local FBO to get you to solo in a small plane (Cessna 152 for me) within that time.  It was a crash course -so to speak- with minimal ground school with soloing as the goal.

 

Those slip-on shoulder ranks would have been a welcome change from pin & clutch boards I had. Getting those boards to line up on the epaulet and stay put was not easy.  And we had to add our own silver rank stripes to the boards as well . . . glue, staples, needle & thread . . . all needed refurbishing after a month or so. 

[Scott C.]

Here's an example of the AFROTC Arnold Air Society membership pin I recalled (photo from a Google search) - joining gave you instant bling: a pin, a ribbon, and a fourragère!

[S.ChrisKelly]

These ranks have been effective since 1989.  Now, rank is worn on the fatigues (now called OCP - Operational Camouflage Pattern - which replaced the ABU - the Airman Battle Uniform - in 2018) as a small velcro patch.  Likely the black-and-silver pins are obsolete.