Parachute Rigger Badge " See also Parachute Rigger Badge ( US Navy ) " The Parachute Rigger Badge is a military qualification badge of the United States Army and the United States Air Force which was first created in 1948 and officially approved in June 1986 . The award is intended as a badge for enlisted , warrant officer and officer personnel who have successfully completed Riggers Courses specified by the U . S . Army Quartermaster Center and School . History . The first Army parachute rigger badge was designed in 1948 by Major Thomas R . Cross and drawn by Sergeant First Class Ewing of the 11th Parachute Maintenance Company , 11th Airborne Division at Camp Schimmelpfenning , Sendai , Japan , and was first used operationally during Exercise Swarmer in 1950 . Prior to the official adoption of the badge , it had been worn under Major Command commander ’ s authority to authorize the wear of locally designed badges on the utility uniform . Official adoption of the badge had been sought for many years by a variety of Quartermaster officials . The adoption was based on a formal request submitted by Mr . James S . Emery , Military Analyst , Airborne Department , Quartermaster School in 1983 . This request received unprecedented support from the field , unfortunately it was disapproved at the time . In 1986 , General Richard H . Thompson , commander of the U . S . Army Materiel Command and the senior Quartermaster officer in the Army wrote the Chief of Staff of the Army asking him to reconsider the 1983 decision . After requesting some field comments , General Wickham approved the parachute riggers badge on 9 June 1986 . Badge eligibility . In order to be eligible to attend any Parachute Rigger courses and subsequently be awarded the Parachute Rigger Badge , an individual must first have graduated from the Basic Airborne Course . The badge is awarded upon graduation from a parachute rigger course as specified by the U . S . Army Quartermaster Center and School . See : Parachute rigger for more information on courses and training . In 1999 , the Army authorized the retroactive award of the Parachute Rigger Badge to individuals who performed duty as riggers before May 1951 , but did not attend or graduate for a Parachute Rigger course at the U . S . Army Quartermaster Center and School . Those earning the Parachute Rigger Badge receive either the Enlisted Military Occupational Specialty Code 92R or the Warrant Officer designation 921A . The Parachute Rigger Badge may also be awarded to officers , upon completion of the Aerial Delivery Management Officer Course ( ADMOC ) or other courses specified by AR 600 - 8 - 22 . The Parachute Rigger badge can be revoked when the Parachutist Badge is revoked , when an individual refuses an order to make a parachute jump with a parachute the individual packed , or when the individual initiates an action which results in withdrawal of the individual ' s MOS before the individual completes 36 months in a parachute position . Air Force authorization . In mid - 2009 , the Air Force ' s 98th Virtual Uniform Board announced " Airmen earning and awarded the Parachute Riggers Badge are authorized permanent wear on all uniform combinations . For the airman battle uniform and the battle dress uniform , the badge will be blue . On the desert combat uniform the approved color is brown . " Previous guidance had limited the wear of the badge to airmen attached to Army rigger units . Air Force parachute riggers are typically found in the aerial port squadron of an airlift wing or group , where they pack loads for training airdrops . Others , trained in the maintenance of aircrew emergency parachutes and other aircrew equipment , are assigned to flying unit life support sections .