Silver Maple Leaf On Jump Wings

[Yeoman]

http://www.joedrouin.com/J-AB050L.jpg
so every had an ID of the thing.
I've seen this leaf a couple of times. Now I've heard a couple of different things, but none of them made any sense at all (being that we haven't done a combat jump since ww2 you know? plus they have their own wing design to begin with).
Is it just a cheap and quick alternative to getting white wings sewn on, or is there an actual special reason behind this pin?
Greg

 

[Haggis]

Basically, the pin is intended to be worn covering the red leaf.  "Quick and dirty", but it still denotes a parachutist who has served in a designated parachute position.

 

[Journeyman]

It's from "back in the day" when there was no white maple leaf. There was just the one set of wings. If, as mentioned, you were serving in a designated parachute postion (eg - Airborne Regiment, Parachute school, Skyhawks, etc), you wore the silver leaf pin over top of the maple leaf

 

[geo]

better than a stitched white wing IMHO............

 

[armyvern]

better than a stitched white wing IMHO............

My 9er would agree with you here Geo. 

 

[Yeoman]

okay thanks guys, that's what I figure was all it was.
I've got to admit, they look real slick, if I didn't have the white ones on already, I'd do that instead. would have been so much easier when I showed up to the coy and found out I had to have the DEU's ready two days after I showed up.
Greg

 

[bick]

All correct, when I was in the Regiment, all we had were the "normal" red leaf wings which we covered with our silver pin, after shining it with a pencil eraser.  Now, it appears a lot of ex-regiment types are pinning theirs through the new white wing badge.  Sort of a way to distinguish themselves from the "after era paras".  Not many of these leaf pins around anymore, they tended to break.

Jay Bickerton

 

[2 Cdo]

Agreed Jay, I've had to solder mine back together countless times, but it still looks better than the stiched white wings!

 

[geo]

Have seen people have the leaf chromed - to eliminate the need to "polish" the leaf white.
WRT the pins breaking; you should try to get a "screwpost" attached to the silver leaf.