Blood wings is a traditional

initiation rite Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

that is endured by many graduates of the

United States Army Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School—widely known as Jump School—conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry Regiment ( ...

and the United States Army Air Assault School and sometimes practiced in other military training environments, including the Army Aviation and Aviation Logistics community. It is called blood pinning in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Although it is rare, some

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

cadets receive their upper-class Prop and Wings insignia via the blood wings tradition. Upon receiving the Parachutist Badge, an instructor or comrade of the graduate places the pins of the badge pointing into the chest of the graduate. The badge is then slammed against the graduate's chest, resulting in the pins being driven into the flesh. If the graduation is affiliated with a particular unit number (unit 14, for example), then the pin will often be pounded deeper into the muscle the same number of times (14 times in this case). The origins of this tradition are unknown, but most likely date back to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

paratrooper training. This practice is fairly secretive and sparked controversy recently when knowledge of it reached the public, which is often critical about painful forms of

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

. Blood wings are against Armed Forces Policy and are prohibited. Some recipients of blood wings say they consider it an honorable rite of passage.

References

{{Reflist Military traditions United States Army traditions Rites of passage Blood in culture Hazing

See also

References