Search and Rescue Wings?

[Joe Baker]

I found this on eBay and it intrigued me. 

URL:http://cgi.ebay.com/US-AIR-FORCE-US-NAVY-SAR-SEARCH-AND-RESCUE-PILOT-WINGS_W0QQitemZ290180177544QQihZ019QQcategoryZ66528QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is the description as listed:

YOU ARE BIDDING ON THE FOLLOWING ITEM:
-ONE US NAVY USN? US AIR USAF ?
SAR SEARCH AND RESCUE PILOTS AND/OR AIR CREW WINGS.
EXCELLENT CONDITION.
I AM NOT SURE WHICH SERVICE THIS IS FOR OR THE ERA THEY COME FROM.
I COULD NOT FIND THEM IN ANY OF MY OLDER REFERENCE BOOKS OR CATALOGS.
SOLD AS IS.
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOUR GOING TO GET.

Any Ideas?

[JohnKachenmeister]

Joe:

I have never seen a set of wings like that in the military.

The style of the wings suggests Army aviation badges, with the upturned tips.

In heraldry, US pilot badges (except ours, of course) use an American shield as its centerpiece.  The block with 5 sticks at the top has no heraldic significance that I am aware of.

By way of speculation, I can think of two possibilities:

1.  The wings are novelty or morale wings done at private expense by a local unit with a SAR mission, probably overseas.

2.  The wings may be the aviation badge of a private SAR volunteer organization.

[Joe Baker]

Makes sense, and thanks for the info.

[caplegalnc]

I will have to check but I believe they are copies of an unofficial set of wings manufactured in Viet-Nam during that conflict.  They were based  the army Aviation wing design.  The reference would be Shelby Stanton's "Viet Nam Order of Battle" with its photographs of unofficial wings and patches.