Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hello from Jump School

ebd10, your right about that being 19 again. And as far as being Airborne. I have never seen so many brainwashed soldiers, as I did in Benning. We had troops in town jumping out of third floor windows, practicing their landing roll. Had troops seeing who was the badest, by eating their beer glasses. I think that those that finally made it through training, and into their units, grew up a little. Never will forget all the running though. From the minute you steped out a door, till you stepped back into a building, it was at a full run. Walking, standing about, and anything on a personal note was just not allowed.
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<br>Phil

Greyghost! At least Alpha company relaxed a little! They allowed us to slow down every time after rounding the last corner from the mess hall back to the Company formation area in order to knock out 20 pushups for God and Airborne...Not necessarily in that order
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<br>Mike

Mike, I've been kind of hanging on here tonight, hoping Justin relates his first jump experiances. Mine I remember jumping out of those mock towers (Ball Busters) I believe they called them. Remember my first so called jump/release from the 250' tower. That was something, couldn't see anybody around, just footprints in the sand. Remember thanking it looked like landing on the moon. Remember on a couple of those Nato jumps, where it took quite awhile to get to the drop zone (different countries) how I had to go, and was glad to get out that door and to the ground. Remember I had this one platoon Seargent with over 900 jumps, and just before Italy, he makes a 500' low level night jump where his chute didn't open properly. You're not suposed to have time for a reserve at that level. But he got his out only to tangle with the main. Sprained his ankle, and he's pissed because he misses Italy. Then in Italy, in a dry riverbed, some 30 miles from where we're suposed to be. While rolling up my gear. I watch a guy from another plane under the same cirumstances bounce off the rock forgetting he even had a reserve.
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<br>But most of all I remember that if I had stayed in the Army, I'd have already had my 30 yr. retirment.
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<br>Phil

Yep! The good old days weren't always good...i was lucky to never see anybody bounce...I did see a few broken ankles and legs...and two impalements happened on jumps I was on, but I didn't see them one stick into the ear, busted ear drum, and one root or stick into the chest cavity, puncturing a lung, but the guy survived.....
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<br>My unit was scratched by Brigade so a bunch of pogues who were about to go uncurrent could jump the day that F-16 rear ended the C-130 then spiraled into a C-141 on green ramp at Pope AFB!!! Glad I missed that one! I was out prepping a bird for flight and saw the huge piller of black smoke and new it was bad!!
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<br>I only got 19 jumps in about a year and a half...
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<br>Mike

Never saw anyone 'burn in', but I was barely missed by some yahoo's ruck as it bounced off of the drop zone. H e forgot to secure it to his harness. I think it rebounded about ten feet up, and then landed about thirty feet from me. Of course, everything that could break was broken. Fortunately, it didn't break my head.
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<br>We jumped into Roosevelt Roads Navy Base in PR. I was on advance party, so I got to watch the jump. They reported winds at ten knots. The winds were thirty if they were a knot, the Army just didn't want to pay for the fuel in all them birds, so they jumped. I saw guys being dragged every which way across the drop zone.
<br>On another jump, into Panama, the guys jumped into elephant gras nine feet tall. What clusterf--k that was. Took all day to get that one sorted out.

One thought on Justin, he said he was the last guy in his stick so he'd be the first one out. 12 years ago, I was last guy in my stick and the last guy out--you boarded in reverse order. I hope I'm wrong because it's about half a mile to the rally point from the very end of the dropzone and they make you double time the whole way.

Hello, all of you! Well, I hit a speed bump on the Airborne Ranger highway. My class graduated today, but I wasn't with them...
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<br>Our first jump was Monday. The morning of your jumps you run to Fryer Field to load up to jump into Fryar drop zone. We were running along in boots (it's not far...a little over a mile or so) and I was on the right side of the formation along the right side of the road. As I was running my right foot landed on the lip of the road and I sprained the H--l out of my ankle. Kept running and we did our pre-jump and all. About 11am we loaded up in the plane. As most of you said, being the last man in the stick I was the last man out of the plane. It was one of the best feelings I've ever had in my life...I got to the door, looked out, and jumped. I was so fired up I could've jumped through the door even if it wasn't open. I had perfect body position, the prop blast hit me, and me chute deployed just like it should. What a view and what a feeling. Took about a minute or so to get down. That's when it got ugly. I landed just wrong, with all my weight on my sprained ankle, and it hurt like somebody had shot me in the ankle. Picked up my chute, packed it, and like Wade said, was at the end of the jump field about 4-500 meters from the assembly point. Ran all the way, crapped out ankle and all. By the time I got to the truck, the ankle was swollen as heck.
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<br>So I'm out for about two weeks. It's a bummer, but that's the way it goes.

to continue...
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<br>I probably could've just swallowed a bunch of ibuprofen and duct taped the ankle and did my jumps the next morning. But when I got up next morning, my ankle was huge, and purple all over the place. I didn't think I could run the mile or so to Fryar field. So, I went to sick call, which meant that I got recycled to Charlie company, and they don't jump until week after next.
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<br>If I was going home on leave after Jump School, I probably could've done it. But instead of leave, I've got Ranger Indoctrination right after Jump School, and I figured that if I really damaged my ankle more by running and jumping on it, there was no way I'd make it through my RIP class, which would be starting on the 8th of August. So I wussed out and went to sick call. My main goal coming here was to make it into the Ranger Bat.s, so I figure I made the right call.
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<br>And I know what you all mean, "oh, to be 19 again!" Maybe when I was 19 I was more of a fire eater, but at 34 I think I'm maybe just a little more cunning and treacherous than I was then.
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<br>All I've got left is four jumps (I'll probably actually get to jump all five jumps with Charlie Co.), and I'll proudly get a "US Army Paratrooper" sticker for the back window of my car (childish, I know, but my girlfriend's insisting on no wings tattooed on my left breast, so it's kind of a substitute for that).
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<br>Still, I'd sure have liked to've pinned on those silver wings today... It hurt to watch my class go to graduation while I sat on the CQ desk.
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<br>I'll keep you all updated as to how it's going. Won't be much longer.
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<br>By the way, I love your stories. Makes me feel like a little kid sitting at the feet of the old Pro's! JustinH

You made a wise decision Justin! It would not be good to go to RIP with a bum leg...You have probably seen those guys hauling each other piggy back up some of the hills down there
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<br>Don't get disheartened you'll be there soon enough!
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<br>Mike

Hang loose partner, this is just the first months of years to come. Anyone can sprang an ankle just walking on the street. Make sure it's well before proceeding, seconds are a no no. Best of luck, -- no

Justin - good call on taking a bye. Keep your eyes on the prize - completing RIP, the wings are just an intermediate goal. Take care, heal up, do your jumps then go kick some butt in RIP.
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<br>Best wishes,
<br>Scott

I'll amen the "you made the right call" chorus. If you had kept on with a bum ankle you sure could have ruined your leg. This is training remember and not the real thing where you may have to go hurt. That would be different. You are learning how now and you sure don't want to screw up the deal by ruining the investment we tax payer have in you. You ain't the first and won't be the last that gets hurt in training. Look on it this way, you did learn something. You learned one of your limits. Every body has them and one of the most usefull things a man can learn is what his limits are. Lots of time when a man tries to go beyond what he knows his limits are he not only gets him self in trouble but gets some of his friends hurt too.
<br>Hang in it will come around.
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<br>BCR

Justin,
<br>Good decision. Even the times I've sucked it up and kept going I made sure the injury was documented. I know how you feel though, I recently injured my left shoulder getting my Tan Belt for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Now I'm doing some rehab stuff, trying to do my job in the unit, but not too much 'cause I don't want to hurt it more.
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<br>Good Luck in the future,
<br>Bob
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Justin have you had any chance to get out and look around our great state on weekends?
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<br>Andersonville civil war prison and the National POW Museum is toward Oglethorpe, GA probably an hour from Benning...The little grand canyon is South of Benning a short piece..can't remember directions exactly..
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<br>A good gun store in Columbus, amongst the myriad of seedy pawn shops is SHOOTER'S You go out the Manchester Expressway(GA State Hwy 85, not the interstate!) past the airport,Mall, and when you get to Bill Heard Chevrolet turn right, go to the light and turn left it is about a mile on the left...really nice folks their..lots of old mausers and other foreign rifles...plenty of modern stuff and archery..
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<br>Also on the same highway(GA 85) across from St Joseph's(before airport and mall) is DIXIE OUTFITTERS they have some nice upper end guns and accessories..
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<br>Mike

Justin, sorry to hear your plight, but you did right. If they'll let you off base do as Mike say's and take the time to tour Georgia. Hope your taking advantage of Military Hops, lets you save the transfer pay. When we graduated, me and a buddy from Washington by the name of Jim Drossart (he was 34 also) who I went through Basic, AIT, Jump school, and assigned together. Well playing a joke, he introduced me to the Zombie at some disco in Macon. Drank six of them, didn't have any effect at the time. But after taking a Hop into Charleston, and waiting for one to Travis AFB. We caught a beer, which knocked me cold. Jim laughed the whole way back to Travis where we parted, till we met back up in Germany. He was beginning to thank his little joke had slipped by. Heck I had just turned 19 and didn't know any better. He was a real caracter though, had already been married twice, and was drafted after missing too many reserve meetings.
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<br>Phil

Justin, I spent the day at the VA Hospital yesterday. Just as a note, make sure all your military injurys are documented, in the future it could be important to your welfare. Especially eyes, ears, lungs, teeth -- see many guys ailing in the waiting rooms, you know the hurry up and wait stations. -- no

Justin
<br>Sorry to hear about the ankle. Don't worry, they usually heal fairly fast, even for us old guys.
<br>I just got back from several weeks of low speed high drag training at Ft Sam Houston. I would have much rather been at Benning. Ft Sam is like an army unto it self.
<br>I did get to see alot of rain. I think I saw even more deer. I couldn't believe all the deer running around during mid-day out at Camp Bullis. Must be a deer hunters paradise to be stationed there.
<br>Hang in there.

Justin, Best call you could have made IMHO, you gotta keep the future in mind. I spraind one bad when I was 20 rappeling from a Huey, kept going and ended up in a cast for six weeks instead of hitting sick call. They damn near took a stripe for that one, as it was I lost 5 days pay to an article 15 over it. The only one I ever had too. As you know, they take a dim view of abusing Governmant property LOL.
<br>Hang in there buddy, you are making us proud!

Sorry to hear about the bad luck. Don't sweat it though, you made the right decision under the circumstances.
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<br>Hang in there, you'll have them wings before you know it. We'll keep praying for you.
<br>7mm

Sorry this is fast, guys: the I'net Cafe here is closing in five minutes. Jumped once yesterday, twice today, all good jumps (in my case, walked away = good jump).
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<br>Have one--or maybe two--jumps tomorrow, and it's hello jump school graduation on Friday!
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<br>It's been a blast...slipping hard away from the direction of my bum ankle is working fine and the rides down are fun as He!!. Will write more tomorrow.
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<br>Can't wait to read the new Elmer Keith story. Hope you're all well. Justin
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<br>AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY!!!!!!