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The man in the photo is the late Lt Col Paul A. Bailey, USAFR (Ret).\u00a0 He passed away last year.\u00a0 You\u2019ve probably heard about him from this (or a similar) article<\/a>.<\/p>\n The specific question most had about him was, \u201cA CIB??\u00a0 In the USAFR<\/em>?\u00a0 What the . . . ?\u201d<\/p>\n It turns out the guy\u2019s CIB is in fact legit<\/em>.<\/p>\n Prior to entering the USAFR, Bailey served in the US Army \u2013 in the 82nd Airborne.\u00a0 He was among those deployed to the Dominican Republic in 1965, and was awarded the CIB there.\u00a0 The FOIA reply from NPRC regarding his Army records can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether his CIB is authorized for wear on the USAF uniform he\u2019s wearing in the picture is a question someone with a USAF background will have to answer; my background was Army, so I\u2019m not up on the \u201cins and outs\u201d of what sister-service badges\/decorations\/badges are<\/em> and are not<\/em> authorized for wear on USAF uniforms.\u00a0 \u00a0But unlike many fakes and frauds we see here, this man\u2019s CIB\u00a0 is<\/em><\/strong><\/span> \u00a0legitimate.<\/p>\n It\u2019s kinda nice to see a \u201ccorner-case\u201d claim turn out to be the truth for a change.\u00a0 I think that now makes about 3 such “corner-case” claims I’ve seen turn out to be legit in the last 2 years.<\/p>\n Rest in peace, Lt Col Paul A. Bailey.\u00a0 You\u2019ve earned it – honorably.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"