Astronaut Paratrooper Sterling by Weingarten Gallery
Item Number: P-2132
My first 10 years in the Air Force was in the Aerial Delivery and Parachute Branch. One of the hero�s of that branch had been in it 10 years before I ever arrived and had jumped from 102,800 feet. Col. Joe Kittinger was later a POW in Vietnam and all of us followed what was happening to him in our branch. Five years ago I met him at the National Boy Scout Jamboree and started just mentioning names of people in that branch, he became very quiet and just looked at me for a while. A few months ago I was working on another Boy Scout project and found myself working with Joe again. This badge never existed but if it had he would be wearing it today and so he will be as the first one made is going to him.