Airborne

Jumping out of an airplane is a life experience one will never forget. People have different reasons for doing it. Some people skydive for the sport of it. It is an exhilarating and adrenaline pumping experience. I jumped out of an airplane to earn my airborne wings in the army. It all started in Airborne School, during ground week, where we were taught how to land safely and dawn a parachute. During tower week, the second week of training, we learned pre-jump preparations and how to properly exit an airplane. Finally, the third week of training came: jump week. My classmates and I made five jumps from a C130 aircraft. Two of the jumps were with just a parachute, known as Hollywood jumps. Two of the jumps were with full combat loads. One of the combat jumps had to be at night so that we could earn our jump wings. I woke up at “zero dark thirty”; a phrase that means before dawn in the army. I rolled out of bed sore from the two weeks of five mile runs every morning in full uniform and boots. My legs hurt from jumping from platforms and throwing myself to the ground learning to land correctly. I stood in formation, half asleep, while the airborne instructors briefed us for the events of the day. The airborne instructors are called Black Hats because of the black baseball caps that they wear with their rank and wings pinned to the front. That morning, our class had to jog three miles to the air field to get our Jump Master brief. I felt a slight chill in my bones on the cold spring morning. It might even have been due to my nervousness. The first Sergeant called the class to attention and ordered us to right face and we jogged down the road to the air field. Once we got there, we stood in formation. I saw the C130s before us on the runway. They are the Army’s largest airplane. This massive plane is oddly very graceful when it lands, like a duck landing in a pond. I could not hear the Jump Master over the roaring engine of the C130. The jump brief was over and we walked to the Rigger’s shed to pick up our parachutes. Stories of jumps from the past, good and bad, filled the air. Another airborne soldier and I helped each other put on our parachutes. A traditional song “Blood on the Risers” go the whole group singing. Even I sang along, “Gory, Gory, what a hell of a way to die. No he ain’t gonna jump no more!” At that point, I had my parachute strapped on tightly. I was then checked out by the safety noncommissioned officer (NCO). The Safety NCO slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Good luck airborne. Have a safe jump!” I replied, “Airborne leads the way!” It was time to load the plane. I stood outside the hanger in a single file line with the other soldiers. There was no sign of fear on our faces. This made me feel confident and proud to be serving my country with such a brave group of men and women. We loaded the plane by walking up the back ramp of the C130. The engine was so loud it was deafening. I felt my heart beating so fast that it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The way we filed up the ramp, I was set to jump third from last. We sat down on the cargo net bench seats. They were very uncomfortable. The parachute on my back made me feel like I was going to fall forward out of my seat. The plane was very dark and only a small sliver of daylight shined through the small circle windows of the plane. It was too loud to talk to the person next to me. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts with their game faces on. It was a twenty minute flight to the landing zone. All of a sudden, the Jump Master commanded, “Stand up! Hook up!” I hooked my static line up to a steel cable that ran from the front of the plane to the back. The static line would open my parachute when I fell out of the plane. The Jump Master alerted us that it was almost time to jump. My nervousness changed to pure excitement and I was ready to jump out of the plane. As the Jump Master opened the side door of the plane, I felt a very strong, cool wind blast through the opening. “30 seconds!” yelled the Jump Master. He told the first jumper to stand at the door. I watched the bright, red light turn green. The plane abruptly slowed down and the Jump Master yelled “Green light! Go! Go! Go!” I followed the man in front of me and we headed toward the door. I made the turn to the door and flung myself out just as I had for the past two weeks in training. I felt the violent jerk of the prop blast that opened my parachute. Within seconds, the plane was gone and I was dangling from 1,200 feet in the air. I floated down to the ground like a feather, swaying back and forth. It was so peaceful up there; no sounds but the thoughts in my head. I almost lost track of what I was doing. I was nearing the ground faster than I had expected. With the ground fast approaching, I started thinking of a landing game plan. I had to land without getting injured. I hit the ground with a soft thud. My first jump went without a hitch. I went on to do four more jumps and earned my Airborne Wings. After I got to my unit, I did another ten jumps.