Written by National Airborne Day – August 16th
I meant to post about this back in August but neglected to do so. Some of you may know I was a paratrooper (Airborne) and served in the U.S. Army, 1st Special Operations Command, 112th Signal (AIRBORNE). Being Airborne qualified opened up a door of options for me to work with and share in the experience of being a part of an elite group of soldiers. It was challenging and very rewarding to become airborne qualified.
To become airborne qualified and earn airborne wings, one must complete a three week course comprised of three phases: Ground week, Tower week, Jump week. Ground week is relentless physical training–pushups, sit-ups, pull ups, running…more running. Lack of sleep, mental torment. More running! Many people quit this first week. The second week is learning how to exit a mock aircraft from 40-70′ towers…over and over and over again, all day. Running up 7 or 8 flights of stairs, then hook up to a cable system and exist a mock aircraft door. The Jumpmasters (the airborne course instructors) are looking for proper exit technique and those that are both mentally and physically strong. Finally, Jump week is completing five (5) static cord parachute jumps from an airplane from between 2,000 – 6,000 feet. If one makes it without breaking a leg, arm, or outright dropping out, they earn the airborne wings and can proudly yell “AIRBORNE!”
Our motto for a paratrooper is “Death From Above.” National Airborne Day is a day designated by the U.S. Congress to honor our nation’s airborne forces that serve in various capacities in the Armed Forces. Most often these are Army Rangers, Paratroopers, Pararescue (Air Force), Marine Recon, Navy Seals, Army Green Beret (Special Forces) and Combat Controllers (Air Force). This is not an all-encompassing list, but typically any person that serves any special operations role must be airborne qualified.
Now you know a little about National Airborne Day!