74th National Airborne Day
That’s COB6 giving you the six minute warning above.
National Airborne Day is set on the day of the first parachute jump conducted by the Army’s Parachute Test Platoon on August 16th, 1940.
On the morning of 16 August 1940 the jump began. After the C-33 leveled off at 1500 feet and flew over the jump field, Lt. Ryder was in the door ready to jump. Warrant Officer Wilson knelt in the door waiting to pass the Go Point. When this was reached, he slapped Lt. Ryder on the leg and the first jump was made. Now Number One moved into position. Slap! “Go! Jump!”
Still no movement.
It was too late now to jump on this pass. Mr. Wilson motioned Number One to go back to his seat. As the plane circled Mr. Wilson talked to Number One. Number One wanted another chance. Okay, this time we’ll do it. Back into the jumping position and once again, slap!
Sadly, no movement. Number One returned to his seat.
Private William N. “Red” King moved into the jumping position in the door. Slap! Out into American military immortality leaped Red King… the first enlisted man of the test platoon to jump out of an airplane. Number One was transferred to another post and anonymity. Now there were forty-seven. Was Number One a coward? I don’t think many experienced jumpers would say so. There are things some men cannot do at a given time. Possibly another time would have been fine. He wanted to. He intended to. He just could not… at least that morning.
The first US airborne operation was in support of Operation Torch, November 1942, in North Africa when 531 members of the 2nd Battalion 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment flew 1600 miles in 39 C-47s, of which only ten aircraft dropped their pacs, the rest landed because of navigation difficulties and low fuel.
Ten years ago, 3rd Battalion, 75th Rangers secured an airfield in Kandahar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on October 19, 2001. On March 23rd, 2003, A Company, 3/75th conducted an airborne operation to secure an airfield in Northern Iraq a few days before the 173rd Airborne Brigade parachuted into Northern Iraq when the Turks wouldn’t allow the 4th Infantry Division to off-load and invade Iraq from their borders.
In years past, the 82d Airborne Division Association, mostly the DC Chapter, had to lobby to get recognition for National Airborne Day from the Senate every year, until 2009 when the Senate made it permanent.
We used to get a Presidential Proclamation every year, but for some reason, we haven’t had any since 2008.
That’s me, on my ass as usual, in the days before Eric Shinseki;
Category: Historical
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! ! !
One of the most beautiful sights in the world is the underside of a fully-inflated and functional parachute.
If you’re wondering why – just think a bit about the alternative. (smile)
Or some asshole walking across it….not
LOL!
Amen, Brother! I’ve seen some beautiful women, but nothing compares to an open canopy.
Nothing.
1st jump at Benning: awesome. 2nd jump: hear “God” on the PA saying “Jumper with the Mae West, check your canopy”. I’m thinking: some poor SOB has a bad chute. Yep. Last in the stick and first on the ground. Almost got ran over by the ambulance. 2 salt tablets and drive on! Not going to be recycled. Back still hurts but worth it.
All the way SIR!
I had no problems with malfunctioning chutes … until the last one before ETSing in ’75. Pay jump, battalion mass tactical, and it being my last, I took one of those Kodak Instamatic 110’s to take some flics on the way down. It seems that some AirNG guys getting their air hours in had flown 130’s over from CONUS and were our air support for the jump. Don’t know about now, but then, the DZ had a flight path directly into the Dolomites that peak at 3000+ meteres, and since we exit at 1500 ft … Yeah, the pilot was getting nervous in the service. Right before getting the GO! command, we got a red light, the engines all started howling at max rpm’s and the pilot stood that bird on her port wingtip. We were all hanging on to our static lines for dear life with the g-force trying to push us all right through the deck. So, we come back around for another try, get the green light, and out we go. only problem is, being nervous, the pilot didn’t reduce rpm’s on the inboard engines like he was supposed to. Not knowing this, I exit in full Airborne Joy and as soon as I felt the canopy deploy, I reach into my field jacket for the camera and start clicking away. No, it’s the ONLY time I didn’t check my canopy. I was in a hurry because I wanted to get a couple of shots back at the bird with guys exiting. Mean while back at the farm, I’m casually wondering why everybody is above me … same instant, WTF, over!! Look up and the canopy is only about half the diameter it should be because my suspension lines were twisted together, big time. I try a couple of times to spread my risers to untwist, no joy, grounds coming up fast, release my rifle container, grab my equipment bag quick releases, yank hard … and the left one hangs. Time for one more yank, no joy, drifting right fast, but coming down faster. It was all… Read more »
FUCK! Lucky you walked away…
You know it, Brother!
The Lord has been gracious to me. Still unsure why …
Yes, sir! It’s experiences like that one that make a man appreciate the sweet smell of the morning air that much more.
Right you are, sir!
It’s hard to believe that Jonn and I were ever that young!
That photo was taken after an inflight rig heading into Honduras. The village of Purta Limpera was the one minute check if I recall.
I think it was around midnight.
Damn, I’m tired thinking about it 🙂
Well, happy birthday, you two!
This week, I visited the Airborne and Special Ops Museum in Fayetteville, they said the Golden Knights were jumping there to commemorate the day.
I’m reminded of mass jump demos at Bragg for visiting dignitaries like the Queen, etc. Leaders were required to emphasize to the troopers that only official language would be used in guiding another trooper away from your canopy. Example: “Slip right!” For Legs, the reason for this is that it is deathly quiet after the planes depart and you still have hundreds of troopers in the air.
It never worked. The queen heard a lot of “Slip right asshole; MF’er; etc.
Troops will be troops, SJ. Some things never change. (smile)
From a longtime member of the Perfectly Good Airplane Club, God bless all of those who have undertaken this hazardous and important duty.
AirBORNE!!!
Happy Birthday to all you Airborne Troops. Brave men all. Thank you for doing what you did.
Still waiting for an answer on why you’d need an e-tool in Honduras… not enough trees?
Regardless of its usefulness, it’s an easy way to 2.5 lbs. The Ranger way!!!!
Jumpers! Hit It! 2/2/1984 had my wings pounded into my chest by a WII Paratrooper. God Bless the Airborne!!
RB you were in the class directly after mine, I believe. I was in the last one of ’83, started week after Thxgvng and ended 12/20/83.
lol @ jumping out of a perfectly good plane.
And they call Jarheads dumb…
The planes were built for the government by the lowest bidder.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that they can be called a “perfectly good plane”.
It’s not really something where you want to “fire for record” without training, FatCircles. Not if you want to walk away from the jump, anyway.
And besides – if you have a ‘chute, when the plane breaks you have a choice. Otherwise, well . . . . (smile)
Fat, you have never seen or rode in a C119 in the 60’s. Nothing perfect about it. /smile
SJ, I was on leave from Dom Rep, went to HI to visit my folks, this was 65, pilots went on stike, I made it as far as FT Dix, the NYAir guard offered a flight to Bragg on a C119, at least they gave us parachutes, about 1/2 way their the right engine started missing and had oil coming out, my self and a young troop from the 101st got up and started looking at the right rear door when the crew chief asked us what we were doing, I said trying to figure out how to open the door, he said you would jump out of this perfectly good airplane? And I asked him why are YOU wearing a parachute? We made it to Bragg in one piece and was never so glad I was on the ground, waiting for a C-130 to take me back to Dom Rep.
SJ: Bet he also never rode in a C123 with door straps vice side doors, either.
That was the first jump I ever made – regardless of what the mass-produced, preprinted jump records say (everybody who went thru my class got one that said their 5 jumps at jump school were from were C130s and C141s). Hell, as I recall I never jumped a C130 at jump school – all my jumps there were from 123s and 141s. I didn’t jump the 1st time from a C130 until later at Bragg.
The C123 shook and rattled like hell, and smelled funky (combo of jet exhaust, piston exhaust, and probably some hot oil and hydraulic fuel leaking – plus the sweat and fear from the jumpers). And when the small jets fired up for takeoff you couldn’t hear yourself freaking think. (Hell, I might have felt my teeth vibrating in their sockets in my jaw.) I was never so damn glad to get OUT of a bird in my life.
Perfect aircraft for a 1st jump. (smile)
Ah yes. The 123. Perfect description. We had some jewels then. 119 shaking and jumpers hitting each other after exit. Also did a couple of 124’s. I’m a dinosaur. Like you, no 130 at Benning. I PCS’ed from Bragg before 141’s became common. Hollywood style from a Huey was the way to go. Drive POV to the DZ. Draw a chute and a elevator type ascent and hop out. No flying all over NC on a hot day.
I fully intended to re-enter every aircraft I jumped from, and I never used a parachute.
Our day! Two kinds of people…Paratroopers and Legs.
Three generations of Airborne in my family. Dad started it in ’45 after Japan’s surrender and was in the 327th GIR.
Happy birthday Airborne!! 😉
Kudos and appreciation to all of you who have left or one day will leave the military shorter than when you joined. My father in law was in the 82nd during WWII – made Normandy but missed Holland due to being in the hospital. Nothing but respect and awe for you guys (and girls) but I always have to remind my Airborne friends that as a former Huey guy, my wings were bigger.
🙂
“That’s me, on my ass as usual, in the days before Eric Shinseki”
Same old Army, different day.
Just kidding!
Sorta.
I think the best drop I’ve ever had, and there were quite a few, was a clear, crip, 0600 drop for our Pathfinders from Ft. Wainwright in the Spring of ’77. So still that I believe I heard the canopys open over the noise of the Huey. Fortunately I was “upfront” with a map and a window. regards, Alemaster