Naval Aerial Observer Wings
(My N/AO Wings)
Backseat, 1st Lt. Dan Francis, USMC
History: The N/AO, or simply AO was a breed of Marines, mostly commissioned and Warrant Officers who wore the wings pictured above and who flew as part of a two-man crew, mostly in OV-10 Bronco reconnaissance aircraft. The OV-10's and A/O program were phased out in 1995 after they had seen plenty of action in Vietnam and elsewhere until their retirement - the last was in 1991 in the Gulf War.
Today, the Marine Corps has once again authorized air crew to wear those wings. Many of them now fly in a variety of aircraft, including the KC-130 Hercules, MV-22 Osprey, F/A-18 Hornet, and many of the Corps’ helicopters as they fulfill numerous duties.
The early day A/O's controlled a variety of air strikes, Naval Gunfire, Artillery fire missions, photo recon missions, and all sort of duties involving support of ground troops. Flying was a secondary duty for most A/O's as most of them were infantry or artillery officers.
Footnote from the First Gulf War: January 16, 1991: Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm. U.S. prisoners of war identified in Iraqi films included Lieutenant Colonel Clifford M. Acree and Chief Warrant Officer Guy L. Hunter (I actually flew with Guy at Camp Pendleton). Their OV-10 Bronco was shot down over southern Kuwait on January 18, 1991. It was the first and last OV-10 lost in combat.
Those were the days.
