A Look at Jump Training -- and One Soldier's Experience

Jump school takes three weeks of very rigorous and intense training. The first week is called "Ground week," the second is "Tower week." and the third is "Jump week." Each week (training phase) is made up of one thousand troopers and is vitally meaningful and important in the future paratrooper's life.

Ground week is run, run, run experience everywhere the soldier goes. The first challenge is to successfully execute a parachute landing fall (PLF), learning to hit the ground properly and safely. The PLF is done many times so that it becomes natural and even fun to do.

The next adventure is on the "swing landing trainer." This action assimilates an actual jump and PLF. The soldier, standing on a platform, puts on a harness that is attached to a rope that a noncommissioned officer controls. As the soldier jumps from the platform, swinging back and forth, the NCO releases the rope and the soldier executes a PLF. This action is done many times so that the soldier in the harness feels comfortable and proficient in this jump-assimilated action and contact with the ground.

This accomplished, the soldier moves on to the second week, or "Tower week," and the 34-foot tower. The tower has the soldier firmly and safely fit into a harness that is attached to strong nylon ropes, which in turn are attached to a cable. The soldier executes the 34-foot tower, sliding down the cable to a beam, unhooks, rushes back, climbs the tower again, and does it over and over until the soldier becomes proficient and the NCO says, "Okay, soldier, you are safe and ready to go on to the 250-foot tower."

The eager and ready soldier puts the past training into action as he, in a parachute, is lifted to the 250-foot level and dropped. This exercise negotiated safely, the soldier moves on to the very important last class of the week -- the "Malfunction class."

The malfunction class instructs the soldier in all that can possibly go wrong with the parachute and how to correct it. The soldier assemble on the training bleachers, and the NCO in charge clearly declares, "If you sit next to a soldier and his head is bobbing and eyes closing, give a sharp elbow in the ribs -- this is a life-or-death class! Listen up! All must be alert and ready!"

As the class continues, a demonstration dummy is dropped from the 250-foot tower and smashes to the ground, since the canopy doesn't open (it's all part of the class). The NCO boldly declares a memorable piece of instruction, "When in doubt, execute the reserve parachute!" Another dummy is then dropped and the white canopy beautifully opens.

The third week of training is "Jump week." The best training in the world is ready to go into action. The first jump is usually from a C-130 or C-141 or the newer C-17. This is a time of deep thought and prayer. The aircraft flies in at 1,250 feet, giving an extra 250 feet of grace at the Airborne school; as a matter of information, all regular jumps are at 1,000 feet, even though a combat jump can be as low as 500 feet to prevent adversaries from having too many shots at the paratroopers on the way down.

Well, remember the malfunction class? Sure enough, one sleepy soldier had had his eyes closed, and his caring neighbor had given him a sharp elbow to the ribs. The soldier awakened and clearly heard the instruction, "When in doubt, execute the reserve parachute!"

On this particular day, the jump master gave the voice and hand signals as usual, "Get ready! Stand up! Hook-up! Check static lines! Check equipment! Sound off equipment check! Stand in the door! Go!"

It was a tremendous first jump for all -- except one -- the young soldier whose head had bobbed and eyes momentarily closed. As he exited the aircraft he thought, "Man, I'm in doubt!" Out came the white reserve parachute. He came down with two perfectly good parachutes! Meanwhile, he was thinking, "This is the end of time, the Parousia!"

When he landed, he did not have a good PLF. He came in flat-footed; he did not roll correctly; he landed on his buttocks; and because he did not tuck in his chin, his head flopped against the ground! The soldier was momentarily knocked unconcious and the white reserve canopy draped over him.

The Airborne school director, the command sergeant major, and I rushed over to the soldier. The soldier started to move under the white canopy with a case of the "big eyes." To him, this was the end of time.

After the jump, I still had on my headgear with a large Christian cross. I pulled the white canopy back, and the wide-eyed soldier asked, "Are you the Lord?" I quickly said, "No, I'm one of his chaplains." The soldier only heard the word no! He loudly declared, "Holy smoke, I'm in real trouble!"

Immediately, kneeling down and holding the soldier, I said, "You need not be in trouble because anything you might be afraid of our Lord handled on the cross and the resurrection, to include sin, death, and the evil one!"

He jubilantly and successfully finished his five qualifying jumps and became a full-fledged American paratrooper. Thanks be to God!