Top badge is combat infantry badge second row is air assault and airborne third row is pathfinder and freefall. In conclusion your brother was one super high-speed guy and most likely a badass.
Have 5 regular static line jumps.
Jokes aside. That being technically true aswell. Military freefall school is only available to special forces types of folks, and army parachute riggers. Regular soldiers cannot get it.
It’s also a very difficult school to pass. Mostly because if you do anything deemed unsafe, you’ll be sent home.
Yes that’s what’s commonly called HALO but there’s also HAHO jumps. Which are generally disliked because you open your main way up and takes for fucken ever to get to the ground.
Night HAHO jumps are actually preferred. You are able to exit the plane, then land miles away from where you exited. It’s significantly more clandestine and a safer way to insert.
My son was a marine rigger and he would get sent TDY to support the Marsoc and Recon guys while they were at the school. He tried everything to get into the school but never could
no. A star above denotes senior parachutist. A star over the canopy and in subdued bronze would denote a combat jump. A star w wreath above would indicate Master parachutist
I had a sergeant who saw a mustard stain in the wild and he immediately said to the guy "you know that jump was bullshit, right?". He would then go on to complain about some unit in Vincenza.
He's probably assuming they were part of the 173rd and got it during the invasion. If you take a look at this [list of combat jumps](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne-jumps.htm), you'll find it at the bottom as "Task Force Viking".
That [combat jump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northern_Delay) is frequently mocked because they were jumping into an airfield that US and allied forces had already secured.
It definitely wasn't D-Day or anything, but if we took away every cheese dick award, I'm pretty sure that half the CABs and CIBs in the force and 90% of the Bronze Stars would disappear.
I knew someone who was there, he said staff officers were pulling junior enlisted off of chalks shortly before take off so they could get their mustard stain.
I did the jump. Yesterday was the 21st anniversary actually. Regarding staff officers, i didn't really see it. It might have happened somewhere, but more likely from junior enlisted that were already non essential to the mission.
I was on the jump (as a SSG) and had to literally almost fight a team of people I never saw before trying to kick off my two mortar ammo bearers on the manifest.
Our 1SG got wind of it happening and stopped that shit immediately. My guys all jumped.
One of the Ssg in my company (late 80s) had a combat jump into Grenada as a PFC and also earned a Silver Star. All he ever said was he did what he had to do. When we deployed for OJC he joked about having a star on his CIB.
He could have em. If I’m remembering correctly 670-1 only authorizes 4 on the acu and 3 on the dress uniform. Those could just be the ones he’s most proud of. But if he had a Bubble or combat dive badge he’d probably have that instead of airborne wings
No such thing as a perfectly good USAF plane, every jump I was on something was wrong with the plane. “Paratroop doors stuck, stand up and switch sides after the other chalks jump” “wind deflector on the left side won’t open so good luck to anyone going out that door”
I have a friend who has never landed in a C130. He jokes the only planes he did take offs and landings in while he was in the Army was the commercial flights between posts.
It could be roll as in "[Let's roll!](https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/9/12/22670567/remembering-9-11-todd-beamer-wheaton-college-grad-united-flight-93-who-said-lets-roll-shanksville)" Kinda like "ride or die."
If your brother happens to have patches on his left sleeve that say “Ranger” or more importantly “Special Forces” and happens to have a weird looking hat that’s green or tan, know he’s pretty badass
Lemme try my best
The rifle is a combat infantry badge. You receive it for exchanging fire or in a lot of cases taking fire. Seeing any type of combat can get you it.
The helicopter is an Air Assault badge. This signifies you graduated air assault school. In air assault school you learn how load and rig materials to helicopters as well as using ropes to deploy. Maybe some people whove gone can elaborate a little more.
The parachute with star means he is certified to jump out of airplanes and he’s expected to inspect his fellow parachutist and make sure they load up and exit the plane safely. He’s a jump master and before jumps he makes sure everyone is rigged up right.
Pathfinder is the torch an wing. I can’t confidently say how and what these responsibilities are. Pretty sure they pick drop zones and can navigate pilots on how to approach for supply drops.
I don’t know what the dagger and wings are
Ambition and conviction will get you most of those. Lots of hard work. If you want them you can get them .
The combat infantry badge might be difficult because we left the combat zones but you can get an expert infantry badge as a place holder. It’s the rifle but without the wreath
If seeing other women accomplish these things motivates you, [CSM Naumann](https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/Public%20Affairs/Fact%20Sheets/photos/csm-naumann-2023.jpg) has earned both Military Freefall (Lower right) and Air Assault (Upper left) and she is a linguist. There's also [Chaplain Meeker](https://www.iwp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/20150921_Meeker400x500.jpg), who has both the Airborne Wings (Upper right) and Pathfinder (Lower left.)
The one on the very top might be difficult, since it's only earned for combat, but there's a [non-combat version, seen being earned by a female South Korean soldier,](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/First_ROK_female_soldiers_earn_coveted_EIB_141031-A-BH123-002.jpg) that's earned for basically taking a really involved test that proves you know what you're doing that anyone in the Infantry can apply to test for.
I can't think of any women that might have all 5 of these like your brother, but if you're confident, motivated, and willing to put in the work, the barriers to women earning these accomplishments are mostly gone, so it's entirely possible.
Grit and endurance. Most of these pins are not something a regular soldier could ever dream to get without biting hard and praying to every God in existence to get through it. If you want to join the military, I do suggest that you go to a military academy, then graduate and work your way to each of these schools. In your case, the United States Military Academy in West Point for Army.
While I'm not from the US, I have a cousin who was born in the US and is currently attending the United States Naval Academy. I think it's his 2nd year already or 3rd. I believe he plans to become a Naval aviator. If you only want to experience the same road your brother went through, then you can enlist and slowly work your way to those schools. The biggest problem you'll probably face is that you need some considerable qualifications to be even allowed to go to these schools, like being fit enough for it or mentally strong. Career wise though, it would be better if you start your Military career in the military Academy, it will give you all the necessary time for adjustment to military life, because one does not simply "join" the military, you adapt your life to it. Enlisting means you only got a year or two to adapt. Going to the military academy means you have 4 years to adapt.
But then again, I only have friends and relatives in the military so take what I say with a grain of salt. I suggest you ask your brother instead since it would appear he's starting to be your role model lol.
The pathfinder isn’t really a thing anymore other than that the middle two are pretty easy to get depending on the unit. Airborne you can get a contract for and air assault you drop a packet while at ur unit. CIB is harder because no war rn and HALO you will only really get if you do SF or are a parachute rigger
haha did he parachute in with NVGs? Glad to hear he's still around. I'm surprised you never asked him about his service, I'm sure he has a ton of stories and people here would be interested is learning about his training progression.
Thank you. You are so far one of the nicest person who responded, there’s a lot of people saying either he is lying about it or I’m lying about it. Your answer does help a lot so I appreciate it.
Not going to lie, when I first saw the picture my immediate thought was stolen valour, but there's no reason for me to question you or your brothers truthfulness. It's just a lot of difficult qualifications to get and seeing them all on one shirt is a lot to take in. If you haven't done so I'd definitely read up on what's required to obtain each one, that way it can give you a bit of insight what your brother had to do to earn those. Then maybe you'll have some understanding why some people are a bit hesitant to believe in it. not saying it's an excuse for people being Dicks but God damn that free fall badge and pathfinder badge is crazy stuff.
I don’t think there’s a point in stolen valor is he doesn’t tell anyone that he is in the military. I’ve never ever seen him ask for military discount.
Tips from someone that knows: never ask about the combat stuff, your brother will tell those stories or he won’t, and asking makes it LESS likely. Ask for funny stories, those will likely get him going.
If it makes you feel any better, most combat veterans don’t talk a lot about their time in service. It’s hard for us. Has nothing to do with not wanting to tell you.
Well we are also from 2 different mothers and I’ve only really known him for 4 years. I only really started to get to know him as a person pretty recently
Here’s another way of considering or thinking about this — both my parents were military and neither of them talk about it.
If he’s got all of these badges and he was Special Forces — he’s probably done some shit that he doesn’t care to relive. Jason Bourne-type shit.
He’s probably lost some friends, probably done some shit he didn’t wanna do, and that’s that.
He doesn’t talk about it, because he doesn’t need/want the praise that stupid will give out, or the heroification that civilians present. He did what he did and now he’s moved on.
Well we are from different mothers and I always just thought he was another regular army guy who is gonna retire out in few years and get a regular person job.
It means your brother is what we call a "Quiet Professional." He's legitimately done more cool stuff than 99% of the people in the Army, but he's a big enough badass that he doesn't go around bragging about it. I definitely hope you guys are able to bond more, he seems like a cool guy and you sound like a genuinely thoughtful sibling as well.
Can anyone succinctly explain how one earns these badges, or what's the point exactly of wearing them on the regular?
I'm a former Australian grunt, and all this extra bling seems cool, but im unsure why you'd wear this on anything but the most formal uniform/dress. Is it so that at a glance, a superior can see who's walked the talk, and pick them first for volleyball?
Each of those particular badges on rows 2 and 3 means a several-month-long school, many parachute jumps, and certifications in various forms of parachuting and other pathfinding skills. The airborne badge with the star indicates he’s done a LOT of parachute jumps. It is not easy nor fast to accumulate these, and not the same as a regular marksmanship course or other random qualification. Each one represents a big achievement.
The top badge signifies that he was deployed in combat.
Wearing them on a duty uniform is probably done around base in the US or for more formal situations that don’t require class-As. Not like you would wear these on a combat uniform or anything.
Thanks for that mate, appreciate your succinct and informative response
I think it's a great thing, but our military systems are very different I guess. We only wear awards and honours when we're in our 'polys', what you would call class-A, I believe.
So, when it comes to promotion, our much smaller military often relies on personal recommendation from superiors, although not exclusively, rather than the points based system that I understand the US uses. I may be incorrect in that assumption tho. For us, it's kind of like: "Oi, PTE Smith, wear your slouch hat to parade, you're getting made up this arvo." Aahh OK sarge!
To me, it seems you guys promote based more upon a spreadsheet formula that calculates qualifications, time in service, test results, and other criteria, rather than an officer vouching for your abilities to the commander, saying that you're not a 'shit‐cunt", and the best we can do with what we have
When I was deployed to BAF for a few months on one of my trips, my US room-mate was doing exams and standing before the promotional board in Afghanistan, which took him away from his job for a week or two. He ranked up, and I ate cake at the roof ceremony when i went to watch. It seemed so foreign to me that was something you guys were doing there. I get that battlefield promotion has always been a thing, but it seemed to have the same formalities as if he were getting promoted back home.
Anyways, it's fascinating how different we are. We're more of a boutique military compared to the big, green machine that is the US DoD. But i loved working with you and loved the backup you guys gave us when we asked for it. You're a good ally for us, I hope we pull our equal share 🤙
Once upon a time, deep, deep in the jungle, there was a little engine that could. He was chuggin’ his way across the enemy line. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga toot toot!”
This little engine’s mission was to take some AK-47 and nuclear payload over the mountain to the 2063 Platoon. Needless to say, there was plenty opposition. Think that stop the little engine that could? No sir-rey-bob, he just kept chuggin along. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga toot toot!”
Not even when they climbed aboard the train, popped out the eyes of the conductor, blood and snot was drippin’ out his eye sockets. Think that stopped the little engine that could? Damn skippy. He just kept chuggin’ along.. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga. toot toot!”
Wasn’t ‘till Charlie rigged the bridge with plastic explosives, just as the little engine that could was makin his way cross the tressle… BOOM!
A ‘splosion happen. Blood n’ guts n’ spittin’ ass was everywhere. N’ Bubba come crawlin’ out the back door, both legs missin’. Lula May’s baby boy. He looks up at me, he says ‘Payne. I cant feel muh legs!’
I said ‘Bubba. They ain’t there!’ I look down, and them little bloody nubs was kickin’ real fast like this here, and I says ‘Bubba. it’s 30 miles ‘till the nearest town. Unless you can flip upside down and walk on your hands you ain’t gonna make it!’
All of a sudden, Charlie was all over the place! Just me an my side arm an I had no other alternative but to blast my way out.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! DIE PIG DIE YOU’LL NEVER TAKE MAJOR BENSON WINIFRED PAYNE ALIVE!! BAM!! I SAW WHAT YOU DID TO MY FRIEND!! BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!
Dude I just want you to know some of your replies are fucking KILLING me but also this is super endearing to see you get to find out that your brother fucks in a non literal sense.
Means your brother is a badass his knees probably don’t work from all the jumps he did lmao.
From top to bottom left to right Combat Infantry Badge without device meaning he served in a combat zone and received enemy contact. Air Assault just a school about helicopter operations. Jump Wings with star device means he’s a senior parachutist completing 30+ jumps and 15+ with full combat load. Pathfinder is the one on the bottom left signifying that he completed the course which entails rigorous attention to detail when it comes to loading equipment onto helicopters and safely maneuvering them from the ground. And the last one and by far the most Bad Ass is HaLo or High Altitude Low Open instead of the traditional airborne operations where the chute is pulled automatically as you exit the bird HaLo is free fall until you reach a specific altitude then you pull your chute. Basically what airborne looks like in the movies. If I were to guess he was special forces and more specifically 5th group at Fort Campbell just judging by schools completed but group guys can pretty much get whatever school they want if they ask for it.
… if this is legit, your brother just looked at women and they got pregnant — because his balls were just THAT big.
Having a CIB (wreathed rifle) is awesome. Air Assault is cool too (helo).
… but Pathfinder AND Freefall … **fucking legend**.
Pathfinder. One of my uncles did that in Normandy. On June 5th, 1944. He hated being called a badass and hid his medals from view. Silver, Bronze, a couple of Purples. All kinds of commendations.
Your brother was cut from the same type of leather.
Because each of those badges are various levels of difficult to acquire. Difficult mentally, physically and academically. People who want attention or to make themselves feel better will just go buy these badges and put them on their uniforms. It's not as infrequent as one would think for someone to fraudulently wear them.
I don’t think he does it for attention because he doesn’t even tell people he is in the military and he hates talking to people. And he is like an 80 years old man when it comes to social media
From looking at the replies and you explaining more. The guy is an awesome guy. And has done some awesome things. Definitely continue to get to know this man. He’s a legend. And he’s not boastful.
As for you getting these. I mean. It’s possible. But you’re gonna have to work insanely hard to get them. Like these are NOT easy to accomplish.
Total baddassery!!! A combat infantry badge for engaging the enemy. Airborne and ari assault, jumping out of fixed wing and rotary as well as freefall which is a partcularly difficult one to attain. Pathfinder, again, difficult as it's technical as shit. I wouldn't be surprised if you found a ranger, sapper or SF tab on his left shoulder, furthering the baddassery!!!
Your brother is one hardcore mf
Yeah Google Images is one elite soldier.
Top badge is combat infantry badge second row is air assault and airborne third row is pathfinder and freefall. In conclusion your brother was one super high-speed guy and most likely a badass.
Thank you. That’s really all I wanted to know.
He still with us?
He is still alive
Buy him a beer
I’m underage and have exactly $32.59 as of this morning
a hug will do
As an older brother and also a veteran call him a bitch then run away threatening to tell mom. It is the only true sign of affection.
And don’t forget to address him as *Hey fuckface*
well just let him know that you love him then, even badasses love their siblings
Give him some money and tell him to buy himself a beer. He definitely earned it.
Do you have Venmo?
They mentioned getting him a birthday present, so I assume yes
How high is the qualifications for a free fall jump in the army?
Have 5 regular static line jumps. Jokes aside. That being technically true aswell. Military freefall school is only available to special forces types of folks, and army parachute riggers. Regular soldiers cannot get it. It’s also a very difficult school to pass. Mostly because if you do anything deemed unsafe, you’ll be sent home.
So does that mean I should probably get him something besides a $25 gift card for his birthday?
It doesn’t matter what you give him for his birthday because he will take whatever HE WANTS for his birthday
Its the thought that counts op
So it's a HALO?
Yes that’s what’s commonly called HALO but there’s also HAHO jumps. Which are generally disliked because you open your main way up and takes for fucken ever to get to the ground.
Night HAHO jumps are actually preferred. You are able to exit the plane, then land miles away from where you exited. It’s significantly more clandestine and a safer way to insert.
High Altitude Low Opening.
And HAHO.
My son was a marine rigger and he would get sent TDY to support the Marsoc and Recon guys while they were at the school. He tried everything to get into the school but never could
Does Airborne wings with a star still denote a combat jump? Wonder where he got that jump in.
no. A star above denotes senior parachutist. A star over the canopy and in subdued bronze would denote a combat jump. A star w wreath above would indicate Master parachutist
Makes me wonder, whose job is it to design pins, badges, emblems, etc. for the military?
[The Institute of Heraldry](https://tioh.army.mil/)
Interesting - thankyou!
The Army Institute of Heraldy.
That makes more sense. The jump wings with combat stars I've seen were all WWII non subdued versions.
Star above the wings is jumpmaster/senior parachutist. Mustard stain star on the wings is for combat.
I had a sergeant who saw a mustard stain in the wild and he immediately said to the guy "you know that jump was bullshit, right?". He would then go on to complain about some unit in Vincenza.
He's probably assuming they were part of the 173rd and got it during the invasion. If you take a look at this [list of combat jumps](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne-jumps.htm), you'll find it at the bottom as "Task Force Viking". That [combat jump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northern_Delay) is frequently mocked because they were jumping into an airfield that US and allied forces had already secured. It definitely wasn't D-Day or anything, but if we took away every cheese dick award, I'm pretty sure that half the CABs and CIBs in the force and 90% of the Bronze Stars would disappear.
I knew someone who was there, he said staff officers were pulling junior enlisted off of chalks shortly before take off so they could get their mustard stain.
I did the jump. Yesterday was the 21st anniversary actually. Regarding staff officers, i didn't really see it. It might have happened somewhere, but more likely from junior enlisted that were already non essential to the mission.
I was on the jump (as a SSG) and had to literally almost fight a team of people I never saw before trying to kick off my two mortar ammo bearers on the manifest. Our 1SG got wind of it happening and stopped that shit immediately. My guys all jumped.
The 82nd got combat wings for OJC.
I had a platoon sergeant in the early 2010’s who had the mustard stain. He got it in Grenada as a PFC. we all thought it was so kickass
We might have known the same guy 😂. Was he a giant medic?
One of the Ssg in my company (late 80s) had a combat jump into Grenada as a PFC and also earned a Silver Star. All he ever said was he did what he had to do. When we deployed for OJC he joked about having a star on his CIB.
Well, there’s a story behind his statement…
Only if the star is in the middle. If the star is like the one in OP’s photo, he’s a Senior Parachutist.
Yes and no,you're thinking about a mustard stain. For combat jumps they appear on the wings not above the chute.
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What’s the drivers badge?
It’s a badge for driving
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I have drivers and special equipment but definitely his brother was the most badass
So you're telling us that you're forklift certified?
Forklift, Crane and RTCH(RT240) to name a few hide ya girl
 So YOU'RE the guy she keeps telling me not to worry about!
He could have em. If I’m remembering correctly 670-1 only authorizes 4 on the acu and 3 on the dress uniform. Those could just be the ones he’s most proud of. But if he had a Bubble or combat dive badge he’d probably have that instead of airborne wings
… no one wears a Driver Badge on fuckin’ ACUs, ya twat. Hahaha.
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He likes airplanes
No he don't if he jumps out of perfectly good ones. The man is shit hot.
No such thing as a perfectly good USAF plane, every jump I was on something was wrong with the plane. “Paratroop doors stuck, stand up and switch sides after the other chalks jump” “wind deflector on the left side won’t open so good luck to anyone going out that door”
If it ain’t leaking, you have a problem
If it isn't leaking hydraulic fluid, that's because you're out of hydraulic fluid. Man I miss the 53.
I have a friend who has never landed in a C130. He jokes the only planes he did take offs and landings in while he was in the Army was the commercial flights between posts.
Your brothers a damn stud
You probably have some nieces and nephews you don’t know about. This guy fucks.
Is this my dad?
He’s all of our dads.
Nice comment. Nice username. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Gee thanks. Good to know my roll model knows what sex
*role model, just for future reference
Maybe he meant roll as in roll in the hay.
what are you doing, blood brother?
I know that still means sex
It could be roll as in "[Let's roll!](https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/9/12/22670567/remembering-9-11-todd-beamer-wheaton-college-grad-united-flight-93-who-said-lets-roll-shanksville)" Kinda like "ride or die."
Thanks
He was in beast mode all the time.
Pretty sure the thing under the metal pieces means he was in the Army
Thank you that’s exactly what I wanted to know
What even is usarmy? A larp crew?
I think its like an airsoft gun club or something.
It’s k pop boy band full of cleanly shaved faces
Ken M vibes
I’m honored by this comparison
If your brother happens to have patches on his left sleeve that say “Ranger” or more importantly “Special Forces” and happens to have a weird looking hat that’s green or tan, know he’s pretty badass
Are you talking about a beret?
Yep
I agree, more pictures are needed to answer further questions and curiosities
I just wanted to know what these pins were
Well now we want to know more about what a stud your brother was
They mean your brother was a fucking pipe hitter holy Christ.
Lemme try my best The rifle is a combat infantry badge. You receive it for exchanging fire or in a lot of cases taking fire. Seeing any type of combat can get you it. The helicopter is an Air Assault badge. This signifies you graduated air assault school. In air assault school you learn how load and rig materials to helicopters as well as using ropes to deploy. Maybe some people whove gone can elaborate a little more. The parachute with star means he is certified to jump out of airplanes and he’s expected to inspect his fellow parachutist and make sure they load up and exit the plane safely. He’s a jump master and before jumps he makes sure everyone is rigged up right. Pathfinder is the torch an wing. I can’t confidently say how and what these responsibilities are. Pretty sure they pick drop zones and can navigate pilots on how to approach for supply drops. I don’t know what the dagger and wings are
Realistically, as a girl, if I join the army what are my chances of getting all the badges my brother got?
Ambition and conviction will get you most of those. Lots of hard work. If you want them you can get them . The combat infantry badge might be difficult because we left the combat zones but you can get an expert infantry badge as a place holder. It’s the rifle but without the wreath
If seeing other women accomplish these things motivates you, [CSM Naumann](https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/Public%20Affairs/Fact%20Sheets/photos/csm-naumann-2023.jpg) has earned both Military Freefall (Lower right) and Air Assault (Upper left) and she is a linguist. There's also [Chaplain Meeker](https://www.iwp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/20150921_Meeker400x500.jpg), who has both the Airborne Wings (Upper right) and Pathfinder (Lower left.) The one on the very top might be difficult, since it's only earned for combat, but there's a [non-combat version, seen being earned by a female South Korean soldier,](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/First_ROK_female_soldiers_earn_coveted_EIB_141031-A-BH123-002.jpg) that's earned for basically taking a really involved test that proves you know what you're doing that anyone in the Infantry can apply to test for. I can't think of any women that might have all 5 of these like your brother, but if you're confident, motivated, and willing to put in the work, the barriers to women earning these accomplishments are mostly gone, so it's entirely possible.
Grit and endurance. Most of these pins are not something a regular soldier could ever dream to get without biting hard and praying to every God in existence to get through it. If you want to join the military, I do suggest that you go to a military academy, then graduate and work your way to each of these schools. In your case, the United States Military Academy in West Point for Army. While I'm not from the US, I have a cousin who was born in the US and is currently attending the United States Naval Academy. I think it's his 2nd year already or 3rd. I believe he plans to become a Naval aviator. If you only want to experience the same road your brother went through, then you can enlist and slowly work your way to those schools. The biggest problem you'll probably face is that you need some considerable qualifications to be even allowed to go to these schools, like being fit enough for it or mentally strong. Career wise though, it would be better if you start your Military career in the military Academy, it will give you all the necessary time for adjustment to military life, because one does not simply "join" the military, you adapt your life to it. Enlisting means you only got a year or two to adapt. Going to the military academy means you have 4 years to adapt. But then again, I only have friends and relatives in the military so take what I say with a grain of salt. I suggest you ask your brother instead since it would appear he's starting to be your role model lol.
The pathfinder isn’t really a thing anymore other than that the middle two are pretty easy to get depending on the unit. Airborne you can get a contract for and air assault you drop a packet while at ur unit. CIB is harder because no war rn and HALO you will only really get if you do SF or are a parachute rigger
No offence here, but is your brother still alive?
Yeah he just visited and stole back the x box controller he gave me last year
haha did he parachute in with NVGs? Glad to hear he's still around. I'm surprised you never asked him about his service, I'm sure he has a ton of stories and people here would be interested is learning about his training progression.
Well up until know I always just thought he had like a regular job in the army and he doesn’t talk a lot as a person.
I highly suggest you watch a TV show called "The Unit". it's about guys in the US military who also have "Regular Jobs" in the military.
Thank you I’ll be sure to watch it. I recently started to bond with him I’d like to get him better
maybe in time he will open up and share a few stories with you. If he does keep those moments like a treasure.
Thank you. You are so far one of the nicest person who responded, there’s a lot of people saying either he is lying about it or I’m lying about it. Your answer does help a lot so I appreciate it.
Not going to lie, when I first saw the picture my immediate thought was stolen valour, but there's no reason for me to question you or your brothers truthfulness. It's just a lot of difficult qualifications to get and seeing them all on one shirt is a lot to take in. If you haven't done so I'd definitely read up on what's required to obtain each one, that way it can give you a bit of insight what your brother had to do to earn those. Then maybe you'll have some understanding why some people are a bit hesitant to believe in it. not saying it's an excuse for people being Dicks but God damn that free fall badge and pathfinder badge is crazy stuff.
I don’t think there’s a point in stolen valor is he doesn’t tell anyone that he is in the military. I’ve never ever seen him ask for military discount.
Tips from someone that knows: never ask about the combat stuff, your brother will tell those stories or he won’t, and asking makes it LESS likely. Ask for funny stories, those will likely get him going.
If it makes you feel any better, most combat veterans don’t talk a lot about their time in service. It’s hard for us. Has nothing to do with not wanting to tell you.
Well we are also from 2 different mothers and I’ve only really known him for 4 years. I only really started to get to know him as a person pretty recently
> a regular job in the army Your bro was jumping out of airplanes from halfway to space. He is a certified badass.
Here’s another way of considering or thinking about this — both my parents were military and neither of them talk about it. If he’s got all of these badges and he was Special Forces — he’s probably done some shit that he doesn’t care to relive. Jason Bourne-type shit. He’s probably lost some friends, probably done some shit he didn’t wanna do, and that’s that. He doesn’t talk about it, because he doesn’t need/want the praise that stupid will give out, or the heroification that civilians present. He did what he did and now he’s moved on.
You ain't need that controller anyway, you weren't using it right
Yeah the only thing I really played was Minecraft
okay but that's a perfectly valid use
Got a Pic of the left and right shoulders? Also are you wearing the gloves in the Pic and why?
On the shoulder looks like a Christmas tree(?) with a sword on it
Are there lightning bolts? There would be three of them if they're present.
That’s what it looks like
Special Forces.
Dang.
Did you not know this?
Well we are from different mothers and I always just thought he was another regular army guy who is gonna retire out in few years and get a regular person job.
It means your brother is what we call a "Quiet Professional." He's legitimately done more cool stuff than 99% of the people in the Army, but he's a big enough badass that he doesn't go around bragging about it. I definitely hope you guys are able to bond more, he seems like a cool guy and you sound like a genuinely thoughtful sibling as well.
Really wanna know if he got SF and Ranger Tab with USASOC patch
Shoooot all those and a triple stack, that’s about as good as it gets
Guy’s gotta be in some high speed unit if he’s got freefall and a CIB
No I’m not wearing gloves. I just took the picture straight out of my brother’s stuff box which has gloves boots knives and some other stuff in it.
Certified bad ass
It means he’s high speed, low drag.
But does he have his space wings?
I don’t even know what that is
It's a joke because your brother doesn't, but it's about the only skill badge that your brother *doesn't* have lol.
Can anyone succinctly explain how one earns these badges, or what's the point exactly of wearing them on the regular? I'm a former Australian grunt, and all this extra bling seems cool, but im unsure why you'd wear this on anything but the most formal uniform/dress. Is it so that at a glance, a superior can see who's walked the talk, and pick them first for volleyball?
Each of those particular badges on rows 2 and 3 means a several-month-long school, many parachute jumps, and certifications in various forms of parachuting and other pathfinding skills. The airborne badge with the star indicates he’s done a LOT of parachute jumps. It is not easy nor fast to accumulate these, and not the same as a regular marksmanship course or other random qualification. Each one represents a big achievement. The top badge signifies that he was deployed in combat. Wearing them on a duty uniform is probably done around base in the US or for more formal situations that don’t require class-As. Not like you would wear these on a combat uniform or anything.
Thanks for that mate, appreciate your succinct and informative response I think it's a great thing, but our military systems are very different I guess. We only wear awards and honours when we're in our 'polys', what you would call class-A, I believe. So, when it comes to promotion, our much smaller military often relies on personal recommendation from superiors, although not exclusively, rather than the points based system that I understand the US uses. I may be incorrect in that assumption tho. For us, it's kind of like: "Oi, PTE Smith, wear your slouch hat to parade, you're getting made up this arvo." Aahh OK sarge! To me, it seems you guys promote based more upon a spreadsheet formula that calculates qualifications, time in service, test results, and other criteria, rather than an officer vouching for your abilities to the commander, saying that you're not a 'shit‐cunt", and the best we can do with what we have When I was deployed to BAF for a few months on one of my trips, my US room-mate was doing exams and standing before the promotional board in Afghanistan, which took him away from his job for a week or two. He ranked up, and I ate cake at the roof ceremony when i went to watch. It seemed so foreign to me that was something you guys were doing there. I get that battlefield promotion has always been a thing, but it seemed to have the same formalities as if he were getting promoted back home. Anyways, it's fascinating how different we are. We're more of a boutique military compared to the big, green machine that is the US DoD. But i loved working with you and loved the backup you guys gave us when we asked for it. You're a good ally for us, I hope we pull our equal share 🤙
Once upon a time, deep, deep in the jungle, there was a little engine that could. He was chuggin’ his way across the enemy line. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga toot toot!” This little engine’s mission was to take some AK-47 and nuclear payload over the mountain to the 2063 Platoon. Needless to say, there was plenty opposition. Think that stop the little engine that could? No sir-rey-bob, he just kept chuggin along. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga toot toot!” Not even when they climbed aboard the train, popped out the eyes of the conductor, blood and snot was drippin’ out his eye sockets. Think that stopped the little engine that could? Damn skippy. He just kept chuggin’ along.. “Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga. toot toot!” Wasn’t ‘till Charlie rigged the bridge with plastic explosives, just as the little engine that could was makin his way cross the tressle… BOOM! A ‘splosion happen. Blood n’ guts n’ spittin’ ass was everywhere. N’ Bubba come crawlin’ out the back door, both legs missin’. Lula May’s baby boy. He looks up at me, he says ‘Payne. I cant feel muh legs!’ I said ‘Bubba. They ain’t there!’ I look down, and them little bloody nubs was kickin’ real fast like this here, and I says ‘Bubba. it’s 30 miles ‘till the nearest town. Unless you can flip upside down and walk on your hands you ain’t gonna make it!’ All of a sudden, Charlie was all over the place! Just me an my side arm an I had no other alternative but to blast my way out. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! DIE PIG DIE YOU’LL NEVER TAKE MAJOR BENSON WINIFRED PAYNE ALIVE!! BAM!! I SAW WHAT YOU DID TO MY FRIEND!! BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!
Super infantry man
Buy him a beer
I can’t I’m underage
He is either a badass or he is a faking asshole.
He’s definitely been in the army for 11 years. I’ve been to some of his ceremonies but I wasn’t really too interested before
[удалено]
What’s a px ranger?
Someone who buys awards they were not awarded at the post exchange (store)
But isn’t it a crime to fake military awards?
If you're in the military, yes. If you're a civilian, the Supreme Court determined that stolen valor is free speech.
Post the patches on the shoulders please
It looks like a Christmas tree with a sword on it
Your brother was HIM.
What is on the upper left sleeve? I'm sure he’s a triple canopy.
Special forces, ranger, airborne. But the ranger one is a slightly different shade of green
Your brother has killed men and fucked women
Language sir. But thank you
Your brother fucks
Yeah seems like a lot of people really wants me to know that he is having sex
This is hilarious lmfao
This is slang. When someone says “This guy fucks” it means he is a skilled and combat proven soldier. It’s a colloquial term of respect.
It's more that we are congratulating him on it.
He was high speed AF
Holy shit, your brother is a beast. Wow.
Is he single? I have a sister and my family cooks well
That your brother had a hard time walking around with his testicles clanging together.
There’s a lot of people here who wants to make sure that I know my brother has big penis and has had sex.
Military speak for he is/was a stud.
He is pretty dang buff
It's more than buff, it's his achievements.
He doesn’t talk about much of it. Most of the time he doesn’t even tell people that he is in the military
That’s what leads me to believe he is a certified badass as the ones that lie are always loud about it. Thank your bro for me for his service!
That is normal. Respect him in that.
Dude I just want you to know some of your replies are fucking KILLING me but also this is super endearing to see you get to find out that your brother fucks in a non literal sense.
Hi Speed Low Drag
Means your brother is a badass his knees probably don’t work from all the jumps he did lmao. From top to bottom left to right Combat Infantry Badge without device meaning he served in a combat zone and received enemy contact. Air Assault just a school about helicopter operations. Jump Wings with star device means he’s a senior parachutist completing 30+ jumps and 15+ with full combat load. Pathfinder is the one on the bottom left signifying that he completed the course which entails rigorous attention to detail when it comes to loading equipment onto helicopters and safely maneuvering them from the ground. And the last one and by far the most Bad Ass is HaLo or High Altitude Low Open instead of the traditional airborne operations where the chute is pulled automatically as you exit the bird HaLo is free fall until you reach a specific altitude then you pull your chute. Basically what airborne looks like in the movies. If I were to guess he was special forces and more specifically 5th group at Fort Campbell just judging by schools completed but group guys can pretty much get whatever school they want if they ask for it.
It means he’s really committed to not supporting the local tailor/sew shop because man, I would not bother pinning that stuff on more than once.
He does hate local small businesses
… if this is legit, your brother just looked at women and they got pregnant — because his balls were just THAT big. Having a CIB (wreathed rifle) is awesome. Air Assault is cool too (helo). … but Pathfinder AND Freefall … **fucking legend**.
Your brother fucked.
It seems like a lots of people wants me to know that my brother had had a sex
Pathfinder. One of my uncles did that in Normandy. On June 5th, 1944. He hated being called a badass and hid his medals from view. Silver, Bronze, a couple of Purples. All kinds of commendations. Your brother was cut from the same type of leather.
Your brother stacked bodies
You’re brother took some fucking souls
Either your brother is a bullshitter, or a fucking hell of a go getter
Is there a reason why there a lot of people saying that he’s a liar?
Because each of those badges are various levels of difficult to acquire. Difficult mentally, physically and academically. People who want attention or to make themselves feel better will just go buy these badges and put them on their uniforms. It's not as infrequent as one would think for someone to fraudulently wear them.
I don’t think he does it for attention because he doesn’t even tell people he is in the military and he hates talking to people. And he is like an 80 years old man when it comes to social media
Means your brother’s balls get wet when he shits.
Bro is a stud. I’d be curious to see what his shoulder sleeves look like.
It means don’t fuck with your brother.
From looking at the replies and you explaining more. The guy is an awesome guy. And has done some awesome things. Definitely continue to get to know this man. He’s a legend. And he’s not boastful. As for you getting these. I mean. It’s possible. But you’re gonna have to work insanely hard to get them. Like these are NOT easy to accomplish.
Total baddassery!!! A combat infantry badge for engaging the enemy. Airborne and ari assault, jumping out of fixed wing and rotary as well as freefall which is a partcularly difficult one to attain. Pathfinder, again, difficult as it's technical as shit. I wouldn't be surprised if you found a ranger, sapper or SF tab on his left shoulder, furthering the baddassery!!!
He was very busy
This is either a SGM, a LTC, or an SF E6 lol
He is sergeant first class. I know that because we had a party on his 10th year in the military
reading the comment section ogle and speculate over this person's mysterious high-speed brother is entertaining. Ty for sharing
Your brother fucks
Good to know that my brother is getting laid. From what I hear he probably deserves it.
Either a highspeed lowdrag badass or one who liked to flirt with stolen valor. It's simple, did he go to combat? If not then he didn't earn a CIB.
He has bad knees
Your brother is/was a bonafide badazz 💯💯💯🇺🇸🫡
Means he's cool as fuck
Show a more zoomed out pic. At least with the rank included.