In the nascent days of America’s airborne forces (1940–1942), Lieutenant William P. Yarborough, a young officer with remarkable foresight, recognized a fundamental truth: forging an elite military force requires more than tactics and training; it demands a unique identity. This identity required a visual language that fostered honor, communicated status, and built an unbreakable esprit de corps.
Reporting back to Fort Benning in 1940, Yarborough joined the 501st Parachute Battalion. He noted that as the American Paratroops were in their infancy, “our search for training guidance focused upon foreign paratroop developments, particularly those of Germany and the Soviet Union.” While his official duties were practical, his true genius lay in recognizing that a unit’s spirit is intrinsically tied to its image. During a creative burst from 1940–1942, he envisioned a complete, head-to-toe airborne identity that defined the American warrior—a legacy that would last for decades.
A New Breed, A New Look
Historically, the U.S. Army had often shied away from the distinctive uniforms and traditions that fostered small-unit pride, preferring to focus on divisional uniformity. Yarborough was among the professional officers and NCOs who understood the immense value of unit distinction. Just as the members of Special Forces would later champion the Green Beret, the first paratroopers were anxious to have something tangible to set them apart. Yarborough’s creative vision provided exactly that, starting literally from the ground up.
The Boots that Defined the Trooper
Yarborough’s first major contribution was the development of specialized jump boots. He championed a high-cut, all-leather design with reinforced ankle support. This was a critical innovation that improved safety by reducing sprains and fractures during perilous parachute landings. Crucially, the design eliminated the need for cumbersome leggings, which were notorious for snagging on aircraft doors or equipment during a jump.
These boots, famously produced by the Corcoran company, quickly became more than just functional footwear; they became a potent badge of honor. Paratroopers took immense pride in keeping their Corcoran jump boots immaculately ‘spit-shined,’ a tradition that signaled their elite status and professionalism. After earning their wings, troopers would ‘blouse’ their trousers into the top of the boots, creating a distinctively rugged silhouette. This look gave rise to two enduring terms: the fearsome nickname ‘Devils in Baggy Pants’ and the slightly derisive paratrooper term ‘leg,’ used for non-airborne personnel whose conventional low-quarter shoes could never replicate the swagger of a meticulously bloused jump boot.
The Practical M1942 Parachute Jumpsuit
Yarborough’s vision continued with the M1942 Parachute Jumpsuit. Working with local tailors, he designed a uniform specifically for the paratrooper’s unique mission. Its most innovative feature was the large, expandable bellows-style cargo pockets on the trousers and jacket.
This design directly addressed a critical lesson from the earliest airborne operations: paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines had to be self-sufficient. These pockets dramatically increased their carrying capacity for essential supplies like ammunition, rations, and medical kits, ensuring they could fight effectively immediately upon landing, often far from regular supply lines. While the M1942 was eventually replaced due to durability concerns in heavy combat, it stood as a powerful symbol of paratrooper ingenuity and Yarborough’s commitment to mission-focused design.
The Crown Jewel. The US Army Parachutist Badge
Perhaps the most enduring symbol of Yarborough’s legacy is the US Army Parachutist Badge. The creation of the ‘jump wings’ was a personal mission assigned to him in early 1941 by his commander in the 501st Parachute Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel William M. Miley. After rejecting several unimaginative designs from the Army’s Heraldry Branch, Yarborough was ordered by Miley not to return from Washington, D.C., until he had an approved qualification badge in hand.
In a letter published by the Special Forces Association, Yarborough later recounted the strict constraints placed upon him: “The one most firm requirement placed by the Army… was that it IN NO WAY resemble the pilots wings of the US Army Air Forces.”
After at least fifty tries, Yarborough came up with the design we now know: two arched wings surrounding a parachute. He was relentlessly efficient in securing its approval:
“I walked the approved design in and out of every office which had a piece of the action in the War Department. I would wait doggedly until each action type got to it in his ‘In’ basket, then take it to the next one.” When the contract was finally signed, he “camped on their doorstep” until he was able to walk away with 350 Sterling Wings, which he carried triumphantly back to Colonel Miley at Benning.
Feeling the wings needed a splash of colour, Yarborough also designed the first felt oval backgrounds to be worn behind them. To protect the design’s prestige and prevent unauthorized reproduction, he took the remarkable step of securing a patent (Design Patent #134,963), an act of safeguarding the exclusivity of this hard-won symbol.
As the airborne ranks swelled, the need to distinguish between novice jumpers and seasoned veterans became apparent. This system was later enhanced with the introduction of the Senior and Master Parachutist Badges in 1949, and the establishment of the combat star system, denoting operational combat jumps with small bronze stars and a large gold star signifying five or more—a tangible and highly respected record of a paratrooper’s courage under fire.
The Enduring Rite of Passage. The Prop Blast
Beyond the tangible symbols of uniforms and insignia, William P. Yarborough also understood that an elite force is forged in shared experience and ritual. As the U.S. airborne concept was taking its first tentative steps, he played an instrumental role in creating one of its most storied and enduring traditions: the Prop Blast ceremony. This rite of passage, born from camaraderie in the nascent days of airborne operations, became a cornerstone of its unique officer culture.
The genesis of the ceremony can be traced to a personal celebration in 1940. After Captain Yarborough earned his own parachute qualification, he and First Lieutenant William T. Ryder felt that “some formal ceremony should be developed to welcome newly Jump qualified officers into the ranks of the airborne fraternity.”
They envisioned a ritual that was more than a simple toast; it needed to be viscerally connected to the paratrooper experience. The concept they devised centered on a potent concoction aptly named the ‘Prop Blast’—a mixture intended to symbolically replicate the forceful rush of air experienced when exiting a C-47 aircraft in flight.
The original mixture consisted of vodka, lemon juice, and sugar, along with an effervescent element designed to mimic the disorienting ‘prop wash’ itself.
To elevate the ceremony, Yarborough and Ryder decided ‘the mixture should be drunk from a suitable vessel.’ This led them to develop the ‘Miley Mug’ in honour of their battalion commander. Demonstrating his hands-on leadership, Yarborough personally directed Second Lieutenant Carl Buechner to fashion the mug from a 75mm shell casing, transforming an implement of war into an object of brotherhood. The design was rich with airborne identity: T-3 parachute rip cord handles were fastened to the casing, and the iconic battle cry ‘GERONIMO’ was meticulously engraved on its side.
The procedure they established would become the foundation for all future Prop Blasts: each new officer would stand on a chair to simulate the aircraft door, perform a mock jump, consume the mixture from the Miley Mug, and then state his ‘first thought’ upon exiting a plane. The list of the first thirteen participants reads like a ‘who’s who’ of early airborne leadership, solidifying Yarborough’s place at the heart of this new tradition.
The genius Yarborough demonstrated in establishing the paratrooper’s identity was not a singular event; it was a blueprint for his later, most famous contribution to military distinction: building the modern U.S. Army Special Forces.
While commanding the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg in the early 1960s, Yarborough faced resistance to the very concept of an elite, unconventional warfare force. He understood that recognition—starting with the uniform—was the first step toward institutional acceptance and essential resources.
His early vision of a distinguished warrior image was later fully realized for Special Forces through a strategic, three-part process:
1. Securing the Image: Understanding the psychological and political power of distinction, Yarborough championed the Green Beret. The 1961 visit of President John F. Kennedy to Fort Bragg, which included dynamic Special Forces demonstrations, was instrumental. Recognizing the Beret’s powerful symbolic value, President Kennedy personally authorized the headgear, elevating it to an authorized symbol of an elite force.
2. Securing the Institution: With the Beret’s success providing critical visibility and recognition, Yarborough was then able to leverage this momentum to secure the necessary foundation for the entire branch. He dramatically increased funding, education, training, and operational resources.
3. Realizing the Vision: This strategic approach, which began with the visible identity (the Beret), resulted in the establishment of the comprehensive infrastructure and quality of personnel required to transform Special Forces from a niche unit into the highly capable, globally deployed force we recognize today.
This continuity in vision demonstrates that Yarborough’s drive for a distinctive look and binding traditions—first seen in the jump boots and wings—was not merely about aesthetics, but was a powerful, successful strategy for commanding political and budgetary support, ultimately leading to the organizational and material realization of the modern Special Forces.
Conclusion
William P. Yarborough’s early contributions went far beyond mere aesthetics; they were about crafting a powerful visual language that communicated the unique identity, elite skills, and shared experiences of the American paratrooper. He masterfully combined form and function, understanding that a distinctive uniform and its symbols were a powerful tool for building morale, fostering esprit de corps, and creating an unwavering sense of belonging within elite military organizations. From the boots and wings that defined the paratrooper to securing the iconic Green Beret for Special Forces, Yarborough’s legacy lives on with every elite soldier who takes to the skies or operates in the shadows, a testament to the man who defined the look and spirit of America’s most distinguished warriors.
NOTE: This article is adapted from a chapter in the forthcoming book, Yarborough, The Father of the Green Berets, due to be published in the first quarter of 2026
Author: Christopher “Moon” Mullins is a former paratrooper with service in the 82nd Airborne Division. He also served with the 5th Special Forces Group in a communications support role on a “B-team”. Chris retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years service. He is the author of several books and writes an online blog on military topics.
Image: Photo of Captain William Yarborough in parachute with other members of the 501st Parachute Battalion, Fort Benning, GA. (photo provided by 1st SFC PAO)