RARE! WWI US NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPS MACHINIST MATE 1st CLASS WINGS 1917

Description: ORIGINAL! VERY RARE! WWI US NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPS MACHINIST MATE 1st CLASS WINGS 1917 VERY RARE! WWI US NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPS MACHINIST MATE 1st CLASS WINGS FROMJUNE 22,1917 IN THE SHAPE OF A COIN. ENGRAVED ON THE OBVERSE: U.S.N.R.F. < UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPSWinfred L.Mitchell MM1 6-22-17 < DATE ACCOMPLISHED TRAINING WWI US NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPS WERE THE FIRST ARMED FORCES TO ARRIVE IN FRANCE DURING WW1 AFTER THE U.S. DECLARATION OF WAR WITH GERMANY. MANY OF THEIR INITIAL U.S. NAVAL MACHINIST MATES WERE PRESSED INTO SERVICE AS OBSERVERS, MACHINE GUNNERS AND BOMBARDIERS. THEY BECAME THE FIRST AERONAUTIC DETACHMENT OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY. SINCE THE US NAVAL RESERVE FLYING CORPS WAS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED IN JUNE 22,1917 OFFICIAL WINGS WERE NOT ISSUED FOR AIR CREW, OBSERVERS, MACHINE GUNNERS AND BOMBARDIERS, HENCE THIS 1918 2 FRANCS SILVER FRENCH COIN WAS REPURPOSED AND ENGRAVED TO FILL THE NEED FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS ACHIEVEMENT. DIAMETER: 1 1/16" UNCLEANED CONDITION IS VERY FINE WITH TARNISH AND A NICE OLD PATINA FROM ITS 106+ YEARS (please see pictures) PLEASE SEE MY 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE. United States naval aviation inventory was 6 airplanes at the beginning of WW1. Four operated from Naval Air Station Pensacola FL. and two were assigned to USS North Carolina. The Navy organized an unfunded naval militia in 1915 encouraging formation of ten state-run militia units of aviation enthusiasts. The Naval Appropriations Act of 29 August 1916 included funds for both a Naval Flying Corps (NFC) and a Naval Reserve Flying Corps. Students at several Ivy League colleges organized flying units and began pilot training at their own expense. The NFC mustered 42 Navy officers, 6 United States Marine Corps officers, and 239 enlisted men when the United States declared war on 6 April 1917. These men recruited and organized qualified members from the various state naval militia and college flying units into the NRFC.

Price: 719 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2024-10-21T20:24:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.99 USD