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Got out for a bit yesterday - Winter's over

crispycrispy Posts: 792 ✭✭✭
in Metal Detecting
Well, I finally was able to get out for the first time yesterday. Beautiful day for some hunting. I didn't find but a buck or so in clad, a 1940-d wheatie, lots of trash and a kind of fun find. I was hunting near a creek in a spot that will be overgrown with foliage in a few weeks. I got a signal that was in the "pulltab" area but it was dancing around a bit and the tabs usually hold somewhat firm. It also didn't pinpoint like a tab, and I was hoping for maybe a bracelet or something like that. I decided to investigate. I dug to a depth of five to six inches in the moist soil and pulled out what I thought to be a chunk of bent-up scrap iron. It was completed coated with mud but curiousity made me want to make sure that it wasn't trash. I started to rub off the mud and realized that it had a gold gilded surface. Getting a little jazzed at this, I quickly rubbed off more and realized that it was a pin of some sort. The "bent" part of the object turned out to be the tips of wings that sloped back from the front of this pin, I guess like a pilot's wings. Upon closer inspection, I could make out the legend: "AIR CADETS OF AMERICA". The back wasn't a typical pin as it has a round nut that screws onto a threaded shaft. It seemed quite substantial in its construction. When I got home later I ran it under some warm water and cleaned it up a bit, but still have to do a better job of it.

image

image

I did some googling and I only came up with one article that explained what this pin was. The Winged Gospel: America's Romance with Aviation: page 123. I was wrong in thinking that it was a kid's cereal mail-in type of thing. Apparently America in the late 20's and early 30's was still stinging from WWI and was cautiously watching the world and more specifically, Germany. In response to their teaching of their youths to fly gliders and such, America thought it necessary to do something ourselves. The American Legion started a quasi-military group: The "Air Cadets of America" in 1933. The purpose was to provide boys between the ages of fifteen and twenty with a pre-flight education or ground school instruction so they could be more readily processed as pilots in the event of a war. OK, longwinded read I know but I thought it was pretty interesting. I will have to finish cleaning this up when I get the chance. Thanks for taking the time to read all this.

Crispy
"to you, a hero is some kind of weird sandwich..."

Comments

  • LittleBitOEverythingLittleBitOEverything Posts: 288
    That's a interesting piece..really neat find.
    putting together a MS 60 and up Morgan set....60% complete...otlher 40% probably take the rest of the decade!
  • shudsonshudson Posts: 108
    Nice find Crispy.

    Do you folks in America not have the Air Cadets anymore?

    I'm not sure if it's just a provincial thing or a country-wide thing, but here in Newfoundland we have the Air Cadets and Sea Cadets for young people. We have the cub scouts too, but I think these cadet programs are a throwback to our British colonial days, as they've been around forever.
  • KarbKarb Posts: 557 ✭✭✭
    Nice find! And a pretty cool history lesson too.
    Robert

    Hoarding silver and collecting history
  • crispycrispy Posts: 792 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Nice find Crispy.

    Do you folks in America not have the Air Cadets anymore?

    I'm not sure if it's just a provincial thing or a country-wide thing, but here in Newfoundland we have the Air Cadets and Sea Cadets for young people. We have the cub scouts too, but I think these cadet programs are a throwback to our British colonial days, as they've been around forever. >>



    Thanks. From what I gleaned, they discontinued the program in the mid forties or so. It wouldn't surprise me if we had a more contemporary collective of some sort. We do have Cub Scouts, Webeloes, Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, etc..., but they really aren't military type organizations. I know some might argue that but I was a Cub Scout and Webeloe and short of uniforms, credoes and saluting the flag a whole lot... Okay, maybe they are a bit military-like. image In any case I couldn't turn up very much on the internet with regards to the Air Cadets of America. I did see a whole lot regarding Britain's Cadet organizations though.
    "to you, a hero is some kind of weird sandwich..."
  • kokapelli1kokapelli1 Posts: 27
    Nice find Crispy. What a cool hobby this is, one never knows what they will find.
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice find Crispy. The Explorer Scouts had Air and Sea branches... and achievement programs in each one. Cheers, RickO
  • davbecdavbec Posts: 321 ✭✭
    That really is a cool find. It has some real interesting history to it.
  • marymmarym Posts: 713 ✭
    Crispy, that is a great find! I'd love to know the history behind that particular pin. Who owned it and how did they come to earn it? Inquiring minds want to know. Mary image
    Be Still and Know
  • DUBBADUBBA Posts: 935
    glad you finaly made it out crispy...that is a very cool pin and interesting history about the aca....hope you make some great finds this season....hh
    "see ya at the beach"
    imageimageimageimage
  • Rickc300Rickc300 Posts: 876 ✭✭
    Very nice find~ I would be really happy to come across one of those myself... Best of luck on the new season! Happy hunting and even if your finds come up less than you want have a good time breathing clean air and getting some exercise!

    HH,
    Rick
    Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed lamb contesting that vote. Benjamin Franklin - 1779

    image
    1836 Capped Liberty
    dime. My oldest US
    detecting find so far.
    I dig almost every
    signal I get for the most
    part. Go figure...
  • speer34speer34 Posts: 375 ✭
    Crispy,

    Nice find there. As far as the "screw" type fastener on the back of it--the older hats had a hole in them that allowed you to screw the piece into place instead of the "pin" fasteners. On my initial issue AF cap, (I joined in 1989--almost 20 years down) we had the very same thing. I need to look through my stuff and see if I still have that hat. Most people referred to it as the "Bus Driver's Hat".

    As far as a cadet program--their is still a program that is called the "Civil Air Patrol". What their function is I'm not really sure but I don't believe that it is associated with the military--just a few military members who belong/help run the program.

    Congrats on your find!!!

    Scott
    Speer34

    imageimageimage
  • crispycrispy Posts: 792 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Crispy,

    Nice find there. As far as the "screw" type fastener on the back of it--the older hats had a hole in them that allowed you to screw the piece into place instead of the "pin" fasteners. On my initial issue AF cap, (I joined in 1989--almost 20 years down) we had the very same thing. I need to look through my stuff and see if I still have that hat. Most people referred to it as the "Bus Driver's Hat".

    As far as a cadet program--their is still a program that is called the "Civil Air Patrol". What their function is I'm not really sure but I don't believe that it is associated with the military--just a few military members who belong/help run the program.

    Congrats on your find!!!

    Scott >>



    That would make sense because if it were anywhere else on your person, the back of the screw would probably rip into your flesh some as it extends out beyond the tips of the wings. Thanks for the background Speer. Now I just have to find the hat. image

    Discovering little pieces of history and learning something new is a big part of the hunt for me. Thanks all for the kind words.

    Crispy
    "to you, a hero is some kind of weird sandwich..."
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