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TheObserver Badgeis amilitary badgeof theUnited States armed forcesdating from theFirst World War. The badge was issued to co-pilots, navigators, and flight support personnel (asair observer) who had received a variation in the training required for the standardPilot's Badge. The Observer Badge survived through theSecond World Warand into the 1950s, at which time the concept of an Observer Badge was phased out in favor of the modernAircrew BadgeandNavigator-Observer Badges. In addition to wings forNaval AviatorsandNaval Flight Officers, theUnited States Navystill maintains an "Observer Badge" which is issued to flight-qualified mission specialists, such as a select number of meteorologists and intelligence officers in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The U.S. Air Force awards its USAF Observer Badge, which is identical to the USAF Navigator Badge, to Air Force officers who have qualified asNASASpace ShuttleMission Specialists, have flown an actual mission aboard the shuttle and/or theInternational Space Stationand who are otherwise not previously aeronautically rated as an Air Force pilot or navigator.
In the modern U.S. Armed Forces, the Observer Badge is rarely issued, but has seen a resurgence in the Air Forces of other countries, most notably theUnited KingdomandCanada.
First World War[edit]First World War Observer BadgeThe original Observer Badge was a half-wing variation of the Aviator Badge worn by military pilots of theUnited States Army Air Serviceand later theUnited States Army Air Corps. The badge was mainly awarded to gunners, spotters, and navigators on the first armed military aircraft. With the advent ofbombing, the Observer Badge was also initially authorized for aircraft bombardiers. A new badge was soon created for these duties, however: theBombing Aviator Badge.
Those rated as Balloon Observers were also eligible for the badge, and the badge was typically referred to as both theAirplane Observer Badgeand theBalloon Observer Badge. The design of the badge awarded was identical in both cases, and towards the end of the First World War was commonly referred to as the "Airplane and Balloon Observer Badge", although the ratings for which the badge was issued remained distinct.
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