92-year-old paratrooper makes first jump
Chief Tango sends us a link to the CBC story of 92-year-old Ralph Mayville who trained as a paratrooper in World War II, but the war ended before he could make his first jump. I guess they awarded him the wings despite the fact that he never jumped, but he finally made the leap yesterday;
“He’s never been, in his mind, entitled to wear the jump wings, either the American or Canadian ones. And now this fulfills his dream, that he can wear the wings as part of his uniform,” said family friend, Paul Chaytor.
Mayville, who’s from Windsor, gathered up his courage to finally make his first jump at a skydiving school in Wainfleet, Ont., near Niagara Falls on Saturday.
The veteran and his instructor climbed to 14,000 feet in a plane and leapt out of the plane in a tandem jump.
“It was so beautiful,” said Mayville.
I’m not sure one tandem jump would qualify him, but I guess it’s better than zero jumps. But I’m not gong to tell him.
ADDED: Ralph might be a bit of a poser. In this article, he says he was one of the first to enter Rome – that might be hard to do seein’s how he says the war ended before he could jump. Here’s an interesting picture of him accompanying this story;
Ralph Mayville, 93, is one of The Devil’s Brigade soldiers with his roots here in Windsor. He, aside from last year, says he hadn’t seen his old friends since the unit disbanded in December 1944.
“I stood on that stage too long but it’s nice to be here to see all my old friends and company commanders,” said Mayville.
Mayville stood, but did not speak, with his comrades at the end of the film to talk about the experiences of war and to take question
Category: Who knows
Good for Ralph Mayville. He served and had the heart, desire and willingness but was denied the opportunity due to circumstances out of his control. Now his dream is fulfilled at 92 years old! Way to go Ralph. That’s courage.
Roger that, Brother.
“Airborne isn’t what you do Airborne who you are”
CSM Hemrick 307th ENGR BN CBT ABN
This seems legit to me. R.E. Mayville from Windsor Canada appears on the roster of the First Special Service Force, which was first into Rome in June of 1944. A joint Canadian-US special operations force, its Canadian members were formally awarded the CIB retroactively in 2005 (worn in the photo by Mayville). The SF tab is also legit, as AR 600-8-22, chapter 8, paragraph 8-49 retroactively awards the SF Tab to any member of the FSSF who served for 120 days or more with the unit between August of 1942 and December of 1944.
That answers my question below.
If Wikipedia is to be believed 1st Special Service Force (“Devil’s Brigade”) troops “… began parachuting within 48 hours of their arrival in Helena. The camp had no training towers and preliminary flights were not carried out, so for many this was their first experience at jumping. This training was completed before any other because it was believed that if all the soldiers earned their jumping badges simultaneously a sense of camaraderie would develop within the camp. So, maybe he was sent as a replacement to the unit overseas, but otherwise his claim that the war ended before he ever got to jump and that he served with 1st Special Service Force can’t be reconciled.
Given that he’s a Canadian (and the medals he’s wearing correspond with that) he shouldn’t normally have that CIB, but I’m not sure how U.S. regulations cover 1st Special Service Force. I think there is a clause in that regulation that allows Americans serving in the correct capacity with an allied force to earn a combat badge, but I’m not sure about what regulation would cover foreign nationals in a joint force like the 1st Special Service Force.
According to another website, The Special Forces Roll of Honour, Mayville initially served in The Essex Regiment, not joining the FSSF until 1944. That jibes with him not participating in initial parachute training. He subsequently joined the Royal Canadian Regiment when FSSF disbanded in December of 1944. The Roll of Honour ( http://www.specialforcesroh.com/gallery.php?do=view_image&id=16050&gal=gallery ) and the FSSF roster ( http://www.firstspecialserviceforce.net/FSSF_Members_pg1.html ) both indicate he was assigned to Number 4 Company, 2d Regiment.
Thanks.
I will say that this post does remind me of my favorite airborne joke:
At a paratrooper reunion all of the men were bragging about how many jumps they had made.
“I’ve got 50 jumps,” said one.
“Big deal, I’ve got 100 jumps,” said another.
“You guys are nothing,” said a third, “I’ve got 500 jumps.”
An old man was sitting quietly in the corner saying nothing until finally one of the men asked, “Hey, old timer. How many jumps do you have?”
“Only five,” the old man said.
“Only five?!?” They all replied laughing.
“Yes, only five,” the old man said, “North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy and Belgium.”
I remember that one.
Beat your boots leg! Got to have ten. Five in jump school THEN the five others!
BTW- a close friend who passed away really did the “five”- Sicily, Salerno, Normandy and Holland! He was seriously wounded in Belgium and sent home (Bulge). I would brag (tease) him about me jumping those places as well…but at Bragg!
My late uncle only had one mustard stain, Beretverde – his battalion of the 504th (3rd) was the one that didn’t jump in Sicily, Salerno, or at Anzio. And the whole 504th was so beat up after Anzio that it didn’t jump in D-Day.
His was from Market-Garden.
In my book, he still “done good.” Though I’m sure he’d have passed on the Purple Heart part, along with being erroneously reported as “missing and presumed dead” during the Bulge.
RIP, Uncle Stan. RIP.
I always winced at the “04… No War” rap. This was years later of course when a part of “Division” would rag on them. I stayed out of it as I was NOT in Division and never was. Always had respect for ALL of the regiments.
I don’t think he was counting the one where no one was shooting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a troop who actually had the star for a combat jump on his wings in real life-they’ve got to be few and far between now.
There are a lot of “mustard stained” jump wings.
Maybe I’m just not hanging out in the right places, but I’d think that most of those still serving who have one would have to be either guys who were in the Ranger battalion early in the war or SF who have made some small unit jump in Afghanistan. I think that the Sky Soldiers had their combat jump from Iraq taken away.
As of 25 SEP 2006, DA still had the 173rd Airborne on the list of units with Assault Landing Credit for their OIF Jump: http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/go0610.pdf
Wow, that list is longer than I expected.
Jacobite: only 8 of those operations were parachute jumps. The remaining 18 were assault landings via helicopter.
“Maybe I’m not hanging around in the right places…’
If I would have to take an educated guess, I would say so.
In 2001 at USMA West Point the Academy CSM was a Double Combat Jump Ranger named Greer. Damn fine man
I remember Greer as an honor graduate at Pathfinder School. Also ran into him at an army hospital when one of his soldier’s bike ran into a tree on an airport assault and my team sergeant had busted his leg on a jump. It is obvious “where you hang out” and who you hang out with. If you are in “legland” and CSS (hospitals, ships, etc.) you are in a different world than those that are in that world.
Do I have to put this on my bucket list?
Oh, hell’s bells, he’s 93. One last thing to do before he kicks the bucket.
Former President George H.W. Bush jumped a number of times, including on his 85th birthday. his first jump, as you know, wasn’t planned: It was necessary. Here he is in a very brief but very poignant video, recalling the incident and still wondering why, after so many years, he was rescued and his two crew died. (One never got out and the other’s chute didn’t open, as I recall.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh72XctOv5M
“He’s never been, in his mind, entitled to wear the jump wings, either the American or Canadian…” That is the money quote for me. It seems to me he is an example of an anti-poser. Instead of Stolen Valor, this may be a case of Confirming Valor.
BRAVO ZULU Mr. Mayville! Thank you for your inspiration and service! Well done SIR! I hope I am as spry when I hit your age.
Good for him.
It’s sad that every little thing these days fall under suspicion, such is the devastating reach and effect of the poseurs around the world.
FSSF did their own jump training and it was an abbreviated course. The Canadians Wore US Dress and combat uniforms but has special Canada collar disks instead of the normal “US” disk. Canada was charged for their Food and clothing and the men got Canadian Pay which was substantially less than the Americans.
The Forcemen Unlike the movie, went to the North Pacific first participating in the Assault on Kiska in the Aleutians before going to Italy. Upon the forces disbanding the Canadians (who were listed in Canada as the 2nd Parachute Bn) were backfilled into the 1st Canadian Parachute Bn.
As to the CIB-
AR 600-8-22 Authorizes the award to foreign Military Soldiers attached or assigned to a US Infantry unit who meet all the criteria.