"No overseas shipments"
 
A Field Guide to United States Paratrooper Badges is a comprehensive illustrated guide to hundreds of paratrooper
badges to aid the collector community. All paratrooper badges are the same but to the collector they are not, small
details can provide information as to when they were manufactured and by who.
This guide shows the various manufactures and the details of the badges. Hundreds of photographs provide both the
details of the badges and the hallmarks of the manufacturing companies where ever possible. While not 100% complete
it provides the most comprehensive guide ever produced on paratrooper badges. In addition un-official badges are shown
as well as badges for supporting roles to the paratrooper.
A history of parachutes dating back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1495 provides the reader a sense of how parachutes came
into  being  and  the start of combat operations in WWII. A list of United States combat jumps is also provided. As is a
section on un-official awards granted to people who lives were saved when jumping from a disabled aircraft such as the
"Caterpillar" award.
If you collect United States military insignia this book is a must for your reference library.
About the author:
Joe Weingarten graduated  from  New York University as a mechanical engineer and went to work in research and development
in  the  Air  Cargo  and  Aerial  Delivery  Branch at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. A few months later he was offered a direct
commission in the same organization. After four years and becoming a Captain he returned to civil service and continued in R&D
for  another  26  years  with  the  Air  Force.  Joe  retired  as the Technical Assistant to the Commander of the Air Force Material
Command. Joe has 11 patents and 28 Air  Force  Invention  Awards  as  well as having written the Air Force Design Handbook for
Air Transportability. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics selected him as the top young engineer in the nation
in 1977 with the Lawrence Sperry Award for the development of the structural internal restraint criteria for all aircraft and spacecraft
that was adopted worldwide.
Some of his other accomplishments include the development of a concept of air cargo hubs many years before Fed Ex and UPS.
A ¼ million  pound  test  rope  with  zero twist that was used in the airdrop of a live Minuteman Missile launch from a C-5 aircraft.
He developed  the  internal  structural  criteria  for  the  Space  Shuttle. Designed an extrusion process that was a breakthrough in
large-scale structural shapes and many other airdrop items.
After retirement form the Air Force Joe open an Apple Computer Store that within a few years grew to be one of the largest
resellers in the nation.
In the early 1970's Joe learned to be a silversmith and during this entire time he became very accomplished at this trade. Selling
at art fairs and museums as well as prestigious jewelry stores such as Cartier. Currently he makes reproductions of US Military
insignia as well as some current insignia in sterling silver and is one of the of last persons making insignia in silver. In the writing
of this guide he comes full circle to where he started in the aerial delivery.
Publication Date: Dec 08 2012
ISBN/EAN13: 148118105X / 9781481181051
Page Count: 166
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim size: 6" x 9"
Language: English
Color: Full Color
Related Categories: History / Military / Aviation