When did CAPNHQ start numbering the Mitchell & Earhart awards?

[wacapgh]

Earhart began numbering in 1979 (hence the very low number on mine).

I seem to recall that when I was a cadet. Our Cadet Commander received one of the first Earhart's and stated that it was number 14 in the nation. This was in 1965. Could they have been numbering them and than stopped the practice only to restart again??

Something like that would have to have happened.

I'm #302 in Dec of 79 and Captain Corway has #1257 sometime in 1982, works out pretty close to about 300 a year.