Posted on May 31, 2014
Have you ever seen anyone wearing a Glider badge?
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Have you ever seen anyone wearing a Glider badge? How many Soldiers could you ask before receiving the correct answer without the help of a search engine?
Posted in these groups: 
Badges
Military History
Badges Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 491
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I am a WW11 VETERAN who was commissioned in 1949 and assigned to the 82d Airborne Division Engineer Battalion that required Airborne training which at that time included Glider training . I am proud and grateful for having had the opportunity to serve our Country for29 years'. I am 91 years old.
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1SG Mitchell Smith
Col, my absolute pleasure meeting you. After that many years and a WW11 vet we can only SALUTE and Gods speed!
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Cpl Delray Graves
My grandfather that raised me was a WWII Veteran. Best man I’ve ever known. You were in great company sir! Thank you for making our country the finest on earth!
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This is a Glider badge from World War II, although the U.S. Army did "use glider-borne troops in military exercises as late as 1949" (Wikipedia article). The only man I ever met (c. 1973) that was awarded the Glider badge was LTC Billy R. Eidson (now deceased). LTC Eidson was the original commander of the 4th SF Support Battalion, 20th SFG(A) when it was organized, effective OCT72 and served in that capacity until sometime in 1974. Former enlisted, he was a big, daunting and scary man!
SGT (Join to see), 1LT John Martin, CPT (Join to see), CPT Jacob Swartout, SGT Ben Keen, MSG Martin C. , SFC (Join to see), SPC Michael Griggs, SFC Michael Hasbun, SGT Richard H. CPT (Join to see) 1SG Mark Flowers
CW5 Jack Cardwell SFC Mark Merino LTC Roger Gaines CPT Len Griffin SGT Robert Pryor
SGT Eric Knutson, this is the only soldier I ever met that had been awarded a glider badge.
SGT (Join to see), 1LT John Martin, CPT (Join to see), CPT Jacob Swartout, SGT Ben Keen, MSG Martin C. , SFC (Join to see), SPC Michael Griggs, SFC Michael Hasbun, SGT Richard H. CPT (Join to see) 1SG Mark Flowers
CW5 Jack Cardwell SFC Mark Merino LTC Roger Gaines CPT Len Griffin SGT Robert Pryor
SGT Eric Knutson, this is the only soldier I ever met that had been awarded a glider badge.
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LTC Stephen C.
MAJ Karen Wall, I lived in New Orleans (well, Slidell really) for 2.5 years, but it was long before the WWII museum was built. I hope to get back there and see it someday!
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James Alverson
Out of all the awards and accommodations my father in law Command Sergeant Major Guy Mitchell received he was most proud of his glider badge. Not until I researched the history of the glider badge I did not understand why he wished to be buried with it. Now I know, American warriors that wear that badge are the original bad asses. The very best of the very best owns this badge.
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COL Samuel Hinton
I only saw one soldier wearing that badge. He was the Commander of the Base Hospital at Fort Campbell, KY in the late 70's. He was in a glider unit in Europe in WWII and they were in action there. He was asked to help the Fort Campbell Museum staff when they restored an old glider that was found in a barn in KY or TN. I don't recall all the details of his glider days, but he proudly wore the badge.
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SSG Ken Steinhoff
My Grandfather before going into the Army for WW11 use to make the shipping crates for the Glider, and he told me that that Crates were more sturdier then the glider. It must have took a lot of guts to ride one of them and I have 98 jumps. And from I what I know the Glider did not get any extra pay for it.
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While serving at Kunsan AFB in Korea (62-63), my squadron commander, a captain, wore a set of pilot wings with a big "G" in the middle. said he was a glider pilot during WWII. I'll always remember it because, one night he was talking to Airman Zeleski, who was slightly intoxicated,when Zeleski pointed to the wings and asked him if that meant he was God.
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Sgt Thomas Proctor
Just a little addition. I can remember as a small child near the end of WWII standing in the yard at dusk and seeing whole squadrons of C47's, each towing a glider, fly over headed South. I still live in the same little town of Fremont, North Carolina, which is about 10 miles east of I-95, about midway between Virginia and South Carolina and about 65 miles N. of Bragg. I guess they were headed to Ft. Bragg on a practice run.
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