DDR, East German Army Combat Paratrooper Qualified Lapel Stick Pin For Sale

DDR, East German Army Combat Paratrooper Qualified Lapel Stick PinCapture a piece of history with this authentic East German (DDR) Deutsche Democratic Republic Army Paratrooper stick pin. Dating back from 1946 to 1989, this insignia is remarkably preserved and showcases a parachute adorned with wings and a rifle—a true symbol of its era. In excellent condition, complete with the original pin intact, it\'s a remarkable collectible from a bygone time, ready to add historical depth to your collection.This magnificent collectible comes from the estate of an Air Force colonel with an illustrious career. Beginning as a private in 1948, he was involved in the Berlin Airlift before attending officer school and volunteering for parachute duty. He became an expert paratrooper in various disciplines, including static, free fall, and halo diving. Notably, he was a member of the Blue Masters Air Force Parachute Demonstration Team in Europe for several years during the 1960s.
His service extended to international missions, such as being part of the Belgian Paratroop Battalion during the airborne assault on the Republic of the Congo in 1964 and participating in Operation Power Pack in 1965. In 1968, he was assigned to Vietnam as Chief of Combat Control, where he was wounded multiple times. He left Vietnam in March 1973 on the last aircraft carrying American troops. Shortly after, he was the commander of the Airlift Control Element in Tel Aviv, playing a critical role in supplying Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
He continued to serve in the United States until his retirement as a full colonel in 1976, accumulating nearly 30 years of military service. Throughout his career, he earned parachute qualifications in an astounding 38 different countries. His passion for collecting airborne insignia led him to amass a vast collection, once recognized as the largest military insignia collection in the world. This item is a unique piece from his personal collection and holds significant historical and collector\'s value.*NOTE*Due to new European packaging and recycling requirement taking effect in 2026, we are no loner able to ship directly to certain Europeancountries. The separate registration and recycling requirements imposed by individual countries can beprohibitively expensive given the limited number of packages we ship internationally. Please review the shipping options included with the listing to confirm whether delivery is available to your country. We regret any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Ordersthat are available for delivery to EuropeanUnion countries may be handled through International Shipping. Applicable EU customs duties, taxes and import charges are calculated and collected by when applicable. These charges are separate from the item’s purchase price and are the responsibility of the buyer.--Please see ourstore formorecool,collectiblestuff--
We do our best to determine what the item is, it’s history and condition. We describe it as best we can. We do not try to hide flaws or misdirect the customer.However, we are a mom and pop business and we do have to admit that we are not experts on the item listed. We use books, consultations with collectors, and the internet to determine the authenticity of the item. Since we are human, we do make mistakes so please do not hold that against us.We combine shipping so please wait for a custom invoice. If you put your purchase(s) in the cart first, is supposed to combine the shipping.
We reuse boxes and packing supplies to do what we can for the environment so please do not be offended if you receive a box with extra stickers or writing on it. We make it a point to ship the items in the least expensive way. Generally postal service first class. Contact us directly if you would like your items shipping Priority or Express.
Item will be shipped to the address registered with PayPal. If you would like it shipped to a different address, please let us know and we will try to accommodate.THE NEEDS OF THE MANY OUTWEIGH THE NEEDS OF THE FEW… _gsrx_vers_1828 (GS 10.0 (1828))