Airborne

[guy22]

U.S Army Cadences: Pick Up Your Weapon! - YouTube

Guy22

 

[ChuckS1]

Two things I remember about jump school in August of 1976 (besides the humidity...).

First was a Black Hat E-5 who, I swear, made it his mission to make all the ROTC cadets' lives miserable. We didn't have to have the shaved heads like the enlisted soldiers, but his words were "Cadet, I can't make you get a haircut, but I can make you wish you did". Got mine buzzed that afternoon.

The second was the boot polish concession at the barbershop. No matter how beautifully I spitshined my combat boots (no Corcorans for us, since we didn't have wings) I always failed uniform inspection in the morning. It wasn't until I turned my boots over to the boot polish concession with the liquid Glo-Coat polish that I passed every morning. I swear the black hats got kickbacks from them.

Oh, yeah, and the I Bar in the basement of the Officers' Club...

 

[CQB27]

Boot Black and the I-Bar.............brings back memories.

 

[Armyphotog]

Why would anybody want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

 

[H Richard]

When I was in the USAF we tried to NOT have to jump from a plane. Came close once flying over the Alps and the DC3 (Gooney Bird) we were in iced up and couldn't get enough altitude. Pilot "wove" his way between the peaks.

 

[AirCommando]

Yeah, I jumped out of Gooney Birds a lot. Good airplane, though, at the right altitude!

 

[feralmerril]

They were training smoke jumpers and before the first jump the instructor said ya got nothing to worry about. Your chute dont open, ya got your spare. A truck will be waiting to haul you to lunch. This guy jumped and the first nor the secound chute opened. He went down through the group and was last heard complaining, "It will be just my luck that the truck wont be there either!"

 

[rusty37874]

Congrats to your son. I can assure you it is an experience neither of you will ever forget. I remember getting my Wings, & that was almost 45 Years ago.It was one of my proudest moments of Military Life.

 

[Rule 303]

Airborne is as much an Attitude as anything else.
I have yet to see a private E-Nothin' on up who doesn't think he can run an Airborne Division if something happens to the CG.

When the SHTF in Combat, you find out real quick that all you have to count on is the men with you and those who provide you support.

I was fortunate to serve in SF, the 101st and the 82nd in my time in the US Army. Always felt that the men I went into combat with were "Above Average" in intelligence, ability and motivation.
It was a matter of Attitude.

CURRAHEE, Gentlemen.

Rule 303

 

[Dragon88]

He got to jump T-11s out of a C-17? Man that's the ticket right there! Not too long ago when I went it was T-10s out of a C-130. I like the T-10 but man those C-130s suck, especially with combat equipment.

Congrats to your son and your family! One day a long time from now when I'm old and crusty, I won't say I was a soldier, I'll say I was a paratrooper.

All The Way!

Dan

 

[ChuckS1]

I remember that our Hollywood jumps were from C141s. Really not a jump, rather just sticking your foot out the door and being sucked out. My first "real" jump I didn't jump out far enough and hit the side of the C-130...

Your son's never going to forget what he;s accomplished. It's a great confidence builder. If I can make it through Jump School, I can do anything. I kept telling myself that in Ranger School, though it took a lot of convincing...

 

[handejector]

My first "real" jump I didn't jump out far enough and hit the side of the C-130...

We called it "countin' rivets".

Best one I ever had was being near the end of a string in a 130. By the time I blew the door, the strings were in sync instead of staggered. Cleared well, but I hit the guy from the other door behind the plane- HARD. My head cleared in a couple of seconds, and as I swung to vertical, I saw his canopy fully deploy just below my feet. I was dead center- could see down thru the center vent. A quick check of my canopy showed that it was very hungry for air and wanting to fold. I was high-stepping rapidly trying to walk off it, but you go knee deep in it!
He was loudly insulting my mother in several different ways....
My canopy was beginning to settle towards me. Look up, run, look up, run! I couldn't ride his down because I stood a good chance of going thru it and killing us both.
I finally got close enough to the edge to dive forward off it. Kinda folded his edge as I went off, and his insults went up two octaves , but his canopy straightened quickly.
I fell a long way with a somewhat limp canopy. It offered enough drag to stay above me, and I was shaking my risers like your Grandma shaking a nasty throw rug!
It finally rounded out nicely.

Ever heard that thing about "couldn't drive a greasy 16p nail up his ___ with a 10 pound sledge"? It's true.

 

[Herknav]

Anybody jump Toy Drop last weekend?

 

[norsemanhp]

Congrats! When we went through jump school in 79 it was T-10's and MC1-1B's.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

43 years for me, January, 1969. We had a drop zone graduation on Saturday afternoon because the winds delayed our final jump.