All men and women in the United States Armed Forces who complete the Basic Airborne Course held at the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Moore (formerly known as Fort Benning) earn the Basic Parachutist Badge. But only Soldiers in the United States Army have the opportunity to augment this already prestigious award (or the more advanced Senior and Master Parachutist Badges) with combat jump stars, transforming the insignia into a Combat Parachutist Badge.
Dubbed “mustard stains” by parachutists, these bronze service stars aren’t awarded as often today as they were in year’s past, when large-scale airborne operations were conducted much more frequently, but they are awarded retroactively for participation in any qualifying combat jump after December 7, 1941.
To earn a star, Soldiers must make a parachute jump into enemy-held territory as a part of an organized force carrying out an assigned tactical mission, and each soldier must physically leave the aircraft. Each qualifying jump is rewarded with a bronze service star, which are centered on the stylized wings and parachute rigging lines until a fifth star is earned, at which point the four bronze stars are replaced with a single silver star centered on the rigging lines.
These jump stars are highly prized, and Soldiers who have earned Combat Parachutist Badgesare allowed to retain them no matter the length of time they have been on airborne status. They may also keep their badges if they are unable to acquire 36 total months of airborne duty (cumulative, not necessarily consecutive) due to circumstances that are beyond their control, such as reassignment to a non-Airborne unit or an injury that prevents them from performing parachute jumps.