USCG SWIMMER WINGS INSIGNIA PIN PLAQUE

Made from solid mahogany this custom made United States Coast Guard Swimmers Insignia pin wooden plaque is hand carved and finished by our expert craftsmen. The mahogany is cured and treated at our own factory to avoid warping and twisting over the years and a special keyhole slot is recessed into the rear to ensure a flush fitting on ay wall surface. Our custom plaques are made of the highest quality solid mahogany and are perfect for office wall hangings, podiums and unique gifts.

We can create and design wooden plaques in any shape and size! If urgency is an issue we can offer an express 14 day delivery for the extra fee shown. Our staff have been specially trained to help you with any questions or design issues that you might have. Call us toll free on +44 808 258 7740.

The United States Coast Guard’s airborne “Rescue Swimmers” are trained at its enlisted Aviation Survival Technician / Rescue Swimmer school in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The course is 18 weeks long; more than three times the length of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps schools. The course includes instruction on rescue techniques, helicopter deployment techniques, and a myriad of technical skills from small engine repair to parachute packing and maintenance. Successful completion of this course results in being awarded the Aviation Survival Technician rating, the technical rating for a variety of aircraft and survival equipment maintenance.

After completion of A-School, all AST’s are sent to Petaluma, California to attend the U.S. Coast Guard’s Emergency Medical Technician school. After three weeks of EMT training, they must take and pass the National Registry of EMTs EMT-Basic test as part of their qualification as a helicopter rescue swimmer.

Full qualification as a rescue swimmer can take up to a year from the first day of A-School, as graduates must learn the aircraft systems and emergency procedures of their assigned aircraft.

This extremely challenging job is featured prominently in the 2006 film The Guardian, starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, and also in the book and movie version of The Perfect Storm.

Prior to a realignment of enlisted aviation rates throughout the Coast Guard circa 1999, the AST rate was called ASM.