Posted on Apr 8, 2021
US Army Airborne School Motivation | Old-School Video
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Airborne School
XVIII ABN Corps
82nd ABN
Ranger
Senior Parachutist
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 8
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Looks like my timeframe, CPT (Join to see)! I made my fifth and qualifying jump on 9APR70 and we were awarded our wings on the DZ!
SGT (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see)
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SGT (Join to see)
I arrived at BCT on 9April1980 at Ft Jackson. As an inf sawantrymen, I was sent to Ft Jackson and did AIT as OJT with the 11th Infantry Regiment in the 5th ID. I was never at Ft Benning. I got a lot of flack for that, yet when I arrived at my permanent duty station, I was as knowledgeable as any person in my squad (I served as a squad leader in my platoon). When I was at BNCOC, I was in the same class as my old squad leader. He was shocked that I was already at BNCOC after only in for being in a little over 2 years! Lol!
LTC Stephen C.
LTC Stephen C.
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Funny, this old leg was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps when I was in the Rapid Deployment Force (24th ID).
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CPL LaForest Gray
108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (108th ADAB) :
“Our mission is to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world and conduct air and missile defense operations in support of the 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command”
“Deeds Above Words!"
“Fist To Fire”
“Nullius Pavet Occursum (He Fears No Encounter)”
“Our mission is to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world and conduct air and missile defense operations in support of the 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command”
“Deeds Above Words!"
“Fist To Fire”
“Nullius Pavet Occursum (He Fears No Encounter)”
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Brings back lots of memories. Here's my 250 ft tower experience. My roster number was C001, as I just happened to be the first ROTC cadet to inprocess. So when it was time to perform on the tower, they went by roster number. I was the first person in the class to go up and be released. Up I went, with the eyes of the entire class on me. There is that metallic clicking sound, and you feel the chute getting released from the ring.
As I'm coming down, all I'm thinking is "feet and knees together". I'm feeling good, but failed to account for a crucial factor. My feet are 6 feet below my eyes. So as I see the ground approaching, I actually hit the ground sooner that I expected, and completely unprepared, and just sort of crumple up into a ball that bore no resemblance to the PLFs we had been practicing. Ugh. Unsat grade.
So I waited while the rest of the class got their first drops in, and then at the end of a very long, hot day in August, they decided I would go up for my second (and final) attempt at a satisfactory landing. You had to make 1 out of 2 or you were recycled. Up I went again, with jump school on the line. The ring releases again, and down I go. I'm still thinking feet and knees together, but also thinking about being ready earlier. My feet hit the ground, I go into the PLF. But my head, rather than staying tucked in, snaps back and slams into the ground. And it's not just any ground. It is sunbaked clay that is just like concrete. So there is a big "bang" as my head bounces of the ground. My bell is rung, as we used to say. I'm wearing wire rim glasses, and the force of impact has bent them to mold to my face like wraparound sunglasses. I get up, and move in front of the black hat. But I'm so concussed that I can't remember what I'm supposed to say to report. For that matter, I can't actually get my mouth to form the words that are in my head.
I'm standing there speechless in front of the black hat, glassy eyed and unable to speak. He looks at me, and says "God damn, Charlie 1! Your head is not a fucking point of contact! But anyone who can hit their head that hard and stand up deserves to jump! I'm giving you a Marginal Satisfactory. I mumbled something, unable to form the word Airborne! and moved over to the detail that rigs the chutes on the ring. There was some sort of little jingle that we said as we hooked it up, but I couldn't remember it or say it anyway. I spend the rest of the day in a daze, unable to form complete sentences but happy as hell I was going to jump week.
And the funny part of the the whole thing is that they must have been more impressed with my hard head than I realized, as I ended up being selected as the Distinguished Graduate for the class!
As I'm coming down, all I'm thinking is "feet and knees together". I'm feeling good, but failed to account for a crucial factor. My feet are 6 feet below my eyes. So as I see the ground approaching, I actually hit the ground sooner that I expected, and completely unprepared, and just sort of crumple up into a ball that bore no resemblance to the PLFs we had been practicing. Ugh. Unsat grade.
So I waited while the rest of the class got their first drops in, and then at the end of a very long, hot day in August, they decided I would go up for my second (and final) attempt at a satisfactory landing. You had to make 1 out of 2 or you were recycled. Up I went again, with jump school on the line. The ring releases again, and down I go. I'm still thinking feet and knees together, but also thinking about being ready earlier. My feet hit the ground, I go into the PLF. But my head, rather than staying tucked in, snaps back and slams into the ground. And it's not just any ground. It is sunbaked clay that is just like concrete. So there is a big "bang" as my head bounces of the ground. My bell is rung, as we used to say. I'm wearing wire rim glasses, and the force of impact has bent them to mold to my face like wraparound sunglasses. I get up, and move in front of the black hat. But I'm so concussed that I can't remember what I'm supposed to say to report. For that matter, I can't actually get my mouth to form the words that are in my head.
I'm standing there speechless in front of the black hat, glassy eyed and unable to speak. He looks at me, and says "God damn, Charlie 1! Your head is not a fucking point of contact! But anyone who can hit their head that hard and stand up deserves to jump! I'm giving you a Marginal Satisfactory. I mumbled something, unable to form the word Airborne! and moved over to the detail that rigs the chutes on the ring. There was some sort of little jingle that we said as we hooked it up, but I couldn't remember it or say it anyway. I spend the rest of the day in a daze, unable to form complete sentences but happy as hell I was going to jump week.
And the funny part of the the whole thing is that they must have been more impressed with my hard head than I realized, as I ended up being selected as the Distinguished Graduate for the class!
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PV2 Bob Ondown
"THE JINGLE?"..."Hit the hole pole man, hit the hole"...was that it?
Good story I lol.
Good story I lol.
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LTC (Join to see)
Yep, that was it. Thanks. I think there was some other one when we were on the detail that lined up all around the chute ring, and connected the chute to the ring by some sort of metal link or something. I seem to recall you did your link, and then got out of the way. I vaguely remember we said something like "rig and run" but hell, it was fuzzy then, and it hasn't gotten any clearer after 45 years. :)
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