i served in the USAF and i was a parachute rigger for these guys. the fact that you said you were impressed with 100% success of parachutes makes me proud. that was my job.

I was a paratrooper, when you hit another person’s canopy you can sort of run off of it. If you get tangled in suspension lines you are supposed to try to get out or climb to the other trooper. It’s all really fast though. In 4 years of jumping on Ft Bragg there was never a parachute failure on a jump I was on.

I was part of this operation, although I didn't actually get out of the aircraft. This was part of a "Joint Operational Access Demonstration" that was being done for All-American Week at (then) Ft Bragg, NC. It wasn't just 4 C-17s, there were 11 of them IIRC, and at least a few C-130s as well. The overall planned drop was around 1500 paratroopers in one pass. To answer your questions: yes, the T-11 parachute does fail sometimes, which is why we have reserve chutes (the big red handle on our front is for the reserve); the failure rate is somewhat dependent on that jumper's actual actions (a more technically correct exit from the aircraft yields better results) but by this point in time, there had been approximately 250k jumps made with the T-11 with the number of deaths at most in the teens. I've got 61 jumps of my own (with a fair number of, shall we say, exciting rides), and I've personally watched probably around 10-15k jumpers over my 20 years in the Army. I can count the number of times a jumper had to deploy a reserve on both hands. The jumpers look close together, but that is a trick of the camera. Unless two jumpers exit from both sides at the exact same time, the chance of hitting another jumper is low. There's usually about a 50-100 foot separation between jumpers (within shouting distance). If you do hit another jumper or their parachute, you try to bounce off of them the best you can. If you get entangled, the higher jumper moves down to be even with the lower jumper and they're gonna finish that jump and landing together. The T-11 parachute is rated up to 800 pounds of suspended weight, so one chute can easily lower 2 jumpers if needed.

I was in the US Navy when PR's, Parachute Riggers, still had to pack a chute from scratch and then jump it. My first jump was the morning after a heavy snowstorm. The air was crystal clear and freezing cold. We jumped our stick based on the size of the jumper. As I was the biggest man, I went first. I won't deny it, when I was standing in the door, I froze. Was no way I was going to leave that airplane. Our Jumpmaster at the time was a Marine Gunny Sargent, he told me that it was OK, just let go of the door and step back. Me being a trusting young 18 year old and innocent young man, did as I was told. No sooner had I let go of the door that grizzled old Veteran kicked me square in the ass and out the door. Next thing I knew I was under the canopy and drifting on the breeze. I was swearing at the Gunny the whole time. I missed the DZ by about 500 feet and landed in a 6 foot snowdrift. We did not have steerable canopies and I totally forgot about pulling on the risers to steer. I spent the next few years jumping both static and freefall chutes. I even got to do a HALO jump with a group of NAVY SEALS in training once.

My dad was in the 82nd(50s). He passed in 2013, and when he was actively dying this is what he was seeing... the aircraft, the equipment, and old Airborne friends. ❤

Scariest part is when someone sharks your air. That’s when someone goes under you and steals your air and you take a sudden drop

I used to be one of the guys that packed those parachutes. Everything is done by the numbers with an inspection point at multiple stages in the packing process. The jumpers take all their parachutes with them, They carry a large kit bag folded up that the chute fits in. They walk off the drop zone with it. They wouldn`t do this in an actual invasion jump, of course. The reserve parachute is the small kit on front above the " ruck sack " hanging in front of the legs. In an invasion they may forego that to carry a little extra equipment given that the jump will be done too low for the reserve to open if the main fails. Cheers!

My partner was a Para. He came down with a twisted chute and failed reserve (not sure of the exact details ) He had some severe injuries but survived and ran a marathon one year later and continued his career in the Paras!

This a day jump! Night jumps are a totally different animal! Stepping off in total darkness is a total rush not to mention how much can go wrong! I am an 82nd Airborne veteran.

The little bundle on their belly is their reserve chute. The guys who pack the chutes are “riggers”. They have to jump with their own chutes. It encourages perfection. 😂 The “bits” missing from the chutes are cut outs and they are designed that way. It helps with steering. After landing, each soldier is responsible for packing up his own shit and getting it to the pick up point. I was a 5 jump chump so I never saw people colliding midair. Hope this helps! I enjoy your channel and this video really brought back some memories. Thanks!

Way back in the mid 1980's I lived in North Carolina, home state of the 82nd. These guys are BAD ASSES!!!! This method puts many people on the ground in very little time!!!!! They are highly motivated!!!! Warriors...

My husband was in the 101st at Fort Campbell, KY. We used to see the troops jumping from planes often. My stepmom calls the planes “Trooper Poopers”. My husband wasn’t airborne qualified, but my Dad was in his day. Both are now veterans. To all soldiers past and present I thank you for serving your country and sustaining our freedom. God bless you all!❤️

Rucksack or assault pack is hung upside down from rings on pelvis. Reserve parachute is above that. Notice all soldiers left hand placement: they are covering the reserve pull handle. Weapons go in the long pouch attached to left side. I loved jumping! The gear was less then comfortable though. Being the first jumper in a chaulk is frickin awesome. You get to enjoy the view then throw yourself into it. Graduated US airborne school on 10Aug2001. Served with 2/75 in OEF. RLTW!

I went through Airborne (paratrooper) school at Ft. Benning many, many years ago. In fact, when people ask me why I'd jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I advise them that my first two jumps were out of a C-123 Provider, a 1950's era twin-piston engine cargo airplane and not what I would call a "perfectly good airplane." In fact, as I sat in the troop seats getting ready to jump, I had bolts falling into my lap. Mr. "OriginalHuman" is correct with respect to the gear, the "day sack" is in front between the paratrooper's legs and the weapons case along their left side. And yes, the compartment in front at chest level is a secondary chute in case the main chute fails or malfunctions. You're only at 1,250 feet (about 380 meters), so when you exit the aircraft you count to three, look up, and if you don't have a good chute above you, you pull the cord on your reserve because you don't have enough time to do anything else. Bottom line, if you get from the aircraft to the ground and can get up and fight, whether you had a chute or not, it's a good jump. Cheers.

My Grandfather was a Paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War.

The 82nd Airborne Division trains to conduct airfield seizures. These paratroopers will parachute into an occupied airfield and take over control so that troops and equipment can land and deploy from the seized airfield. The 82nd Also has the ability to carry out the same mission with sea ports. The equipment they use are as follows: the T-11 Main Parachute equipped with a T-11 reserve parachute (mounted front), MOLLE (Molly) Ruck Sack, M-1950 Weapons Case.

*** In your KZfaq, you mentioned parachutes might touch on the way down. But MORE than that can take place . . . *** In November 1969 at Ft. Benning, GA, I attended the Basic Airborne Course. I was making one of the 5 required parachute jumps during the final "Jump Week"-- this one from a Lockheed C-141 (powered by a turbofan jet engine). While coming down, I found myself being "drafted" into the wake of a neighboring soldier's parachute below me. You can maneuver your parachute's descent somewhat by reaching up, grabbing the chute's risers (the lines attaching you to the parachute fabric), and pulling down. Air spills out, and the parachute drifts in the direction you are pulling. So I did that, trying to move away horizontally from the approaching parachute. But, it wouldn't work! No matter how much I pulled, I found myself heading down into that upcoming parachute. I ended up LANDING on top of that chute! My feet started sinking into it under me as air started leaving my own parachute -- mine was deflating! At the same time, the tension eased in my risers. This gave me some maneuverability, and I found I could "walk" on the fluffy parachute, like a big pillow. But, my steps were sinking lower on it, and I knew it would eventually collapse. I also eyed a hole located in the center of the chute's fabric, designed to stabilize its descent. If I stepped into it, I could do nothing. Both the soldier under me and I could end up in a horrible accident. He yelled up at me to "Get off," and I yelled back "I'm trying. in a matter of seconds, all I did was make a right turn and walk off the parachute, thus making TWO actual jumps during what should have been only ONE!

The bag in front against the legs is that Alice Pack, the pack with the red tab is the reserve chute and the pack on the side is the weapon. Chute has a static line which has a (in my time) 4 second count after exit of aircraft for opening shock of your chute. We try to keep one arm interval with the trooper in front of you to maintain a one second spacing upon exiting the bird. The material you see on some of the chutes dangling is a deployed reserve chute. Either it deployed or the trooper got tangled and deployed it. It is the individual troopers responsibility to check their space below them and ensure no other troopers are below you because it will shark your air and your chute could deflate, so to speak.800 ft is normal altitude for ops and mostly done at night. Chutes fail, you run across chutes, you get tangled all that is Murphy's Law. The H harness is deployed 100 ft off the ground that is the Alice Pack dangling prior to hitting the ground. I always got butterflies and it was adrenaline. I hope this was useful, AIRBORNE All The Way!

Nothing dumber then a plumber but I hear you Royal Marines kick ass and take names later! Rigorous training I hear hats off to yah sir!

I was actually a paratrooper in the 173rd during OIF/OEF. If you bump into each other, they teach you to "slip away" by grabbing any combination of 2 risers to ride the air away from each other. You can also shark the air from above somebody and make them fall a lil faster as a bit of a troll.

The C-17 can airdrop 102 paratroopers and yes there is a back up chute if the main one fails to deploy

My dad was on maneuvers to Turkey with 101st in 1963. They lost two engines over the Mediterranean and he said not one paratrooper had his chute. The “Upper Mgmt” had sent the chutes on a separate flight with the jeeps! They landed safely by the Grace of God!

That bag on their belly is a reserve chute. If they collide , it can lead to death. My father died that way. Was a paratrooper myself in the 80s.

That bag between the legs is a ruck. Packed for three days of operation. My heaviest was 75 pounds, but I have friends that have jumped 100 pounds.

Could this man ever be a guest on the Unsubscribe podcast with the Fat Electrician and crew? Could be amazing.

Yes, there is a back-up chute on the front by the waist. The parachutes are not damaged, they openings to allow the trooper to steer them as they glide. They are not that close together. Their equipment such as packs are carried on a strap that dangles below them as they glide so that the weight of the pack hits the ground before the trooper. That way his body doesn't bear the weight of the pack when he lands on the ground. They are at a relatively low altitude to prevent the troops from getting scattered and to lessen the time they are exposed to the enemy but to allow enough time for them to release a bad chute and open the reserve chute. Step one is to leave the plane step two is to look up and make sure you have a "good canopy". If the canopy is not properly deployed, you release yourself from it and pull the ripcord on the reserve chute, grab the straps and pull yourself to the upright position putting the straps behind your arms.

I had to go to army airborne school during a period where the Army took the SEAL’s authority to run our own jump training away (the Army controls all military jumping while the Navy controls all military diving). I did ~60 static line jumps before going to free fall school. Never static-lined again after that.

Thank all of you men and women who serve in our military every man in my family served.

If, during the descent, you "land" on the chute below you, you literally "run" to the edge of that chute (like running in a vat of Jello) and drop off. Your chute, having been in the lower guy's wind shadow, will be partially collapsed: you will fall faster than him, and end up below him, with a full chute again. There is a very good chance that HIS chute will then be sucked into YOUR wind shadow and the whole thing will repeat, with him on top. You can "leapfrog" all the way to the ground like this, and both guys will probably be OK. If you collide with another trooper, you're taught to hug each other and you descend to the ground like that. Again, both guys will probably be OK. "Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die, and he ain't gonna jump no more!" AIRBORNE!!

I was in the Ranger Battalion and yes we have a reserve shoot. Combat jump is 800 feet . However after many jumps you get a feel for how high you are and I'd swear there many that were under 800 by at least 100 feet...they'd never tell you though. Most of our jump were at night....now that brings an element of excitement to the game! It actually is a pretty cool way to infill. We really liked Chinook and Blackhawks more exact and the ability to lay down cover fire should never be taken for granted.

Yes, that is their "Bergen" rucksack...and that is the weapon's case under the left arm...reserve chute is on the chest. The "bergen" is released 100ft from the ground...it is attached by a line. Also, you will notice that some of them have unit a patch (AA = 82nd Airborne) on one shoulder, while other have a unit patch on both. Those who have one on their right shoulder deployed in combat...it is their "combat patch". Finaly, standing in the door is the best position in the stick...back in my day (40 odd years ago) it was considered a position of honor.

If you look at the paratroopers as they are boarding the aircraft, they have their day packs at their knees their weapon strapped to their side, the main chute strapped to their back, and the bag at their abdomen with the red strap on it is the reserve chute.

My six years in the 82nd was great. Cherry blast was ch-47 tailgate in the pouring rain in January while TDY to Ft Hood. Have ch-47, uh-60, c-141, c-130, and c-17 on jump log.

Looks like a full Company training jump to me. You never realize how enormous the C17 is until you walk up into one. They look like they shouldn't be able to fly lol.

Having 15 jumps personally, the pack on the front of the chest is a reserve parachute in case the primary T-11 ( which is the one on the back ) fails for whatever reason. Typically, the static line is designed to open the T-11 automatically after 6 seconds, if it doesn't deploy after 6 seconds you immediately go for the reserve. The bag on the side is the MAW-C which can carry an M4, a SAW, or in some cases an M240L. But the jumps are a lot of fun, and quite exciting!

The reason the parachutes look so quirky is so have somewhat more control on where can land verses older designs

My daughter was in the 82d AD in the 1990s. I teased her for stepping out of a perfectly good airplane before it lands and she teased me for climbing over the side of a landing ship on a net and riding a Mike Boat to the beach. I told her, "If the boat sinks I know how to swim, but what can you do if the parachute fails?"

The 82nd Airborne is based at Fort Liberty, formally called Fort Bragg, in Fayetteville, NC . Everyone around still calls it Fort Bragg.I do too.

I went to the yalls Army jumping school in February of 1980. My neighbor Gunny went to British Royal Marine Commando school back in the 60s he was in Recon back then.

This was most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life. Did 8yrs in the army stationed at Fort Bragg N.C. ~ 11b weapons squad 1st 325 pir fighting falcons circa 92

I was in the 82nd way back in 1977 to 1983. There was nothing like putting the knees in the breeze.

That is full battle rattle. None of those guys are from the 101st - some are wearing combat patches from the 101st, but they are in the 82nd now. They have their chute on their back, their reserve on their belly, their ruck between their legs, and rifle on their right side. The phone is allowed. They get some good air shots with their phones. It’s all guys in the kind companies. Line company is 120 doopers, and one company per bird. 400 doopers is the equivalent of 1000 regular soldiers.

This is a recording of the literal cracking open of several cans of whoopass!

I'm retired now, and I have some great memories under canopy. Being #1 in the door is awesome. You do see a wpn in a bag on a Jumpers shoulder. In Canada your shoulder load may also include snowshoes.

Yes a reserve chute on chest. Also can use it to climb out of a tree if you get stuck in 1.

Yes everyone has a back up, it’s on the stomach above the ruck sack, jumping that low you may not have time to use it if needed. 82/325. If you land on another chute, run off of it……….

Between the sharks, the nut-bumps, the "simulated" hot drops, and everything else... it's still one hell of a time.

The idea behind a mass tactical jump is to get as many combat-ready Soldiers on the ground in the shortest amount of time. So in peace time they jump at 800-1200 feet unless the USAF screws up. In war or other live hostile entry events it used to be as low as 600 feet above ground level. In a 600 foot jump, the parachute opens and you hit the ground. No time to enjoy the view. C-17s hold 102 combat ready paratroopers. These guys are the 82nd Airborne Division and can be wheels up to deploy world-wide within 24 hours.

The 82nd? Cool, love our favorite AA, or Athletic Alcoholics.

Knees in the breeze!

McChord Tail????? NAAAAAHHHH CHARLESTON ALL THE WAY BABY Aside from jokes, all the love to all our soldiers, pilots, loadmasters, and especially my maintainers out there keeping our C-17s up and running ✊🏽❤

I had 37 static line jumps in the 1990s. I've never jumped from anything larger than a C141 and certainly never used a parachute as nice as those. Everything else is pretty much the same. Thanks for the video.

Did my 4 years in the 82nd at Bragg, only thing i really miss was jumping. C-17 was soooo much more comfortable compared to the C-130. Check that out sometime, it was like being in a sardine can.

We jump because somebody down there needs us.

I actually did some joint stuff with you guys back in Helmand in 2009. Good stuff...have some good stories about jumps in division. My last jump at Fort Bragg had a chute failure wild enough.

My Father was Airborne in 1960-1964. During the Indo-China conflict. He said he was okay with the takeoff and landing, it was getting out in the middle he didn't like. lol

I loved hanging my knees in the breeze. But that was decades ago. In the US, we have riggers who rig parachutes all day, every day. But whenever one of the chutes they rig is randomly selected, they have to wear it for a jump. That's one reason the chutes all work. But, yes, there is a reserve chute. It was the package you saw worn high on their chest.

My dad was a Screaming Eagle, 101st Airborne, Vietnam Era. Sooo proud!!!!!!!!

Let's go! Reserve is on the front.

My LRS unit did a C-130 tailgate jump that sent 7 out of 21 jumpers to the ER. We hypothesized that the plane was carrying too much airspeed when the green light came on. The opening shock was brutal. The DZ was likely too windy for a drop, but guy running it was a little prick and made us do it anyway.

I think the jelly roll at the base of their chest is the back up. In one of the views you can see a collapsed chute streaming down, cut away from the jumper. Many years ago, one of the reservists I worked with was a jumper. They would do one weekend per month training and two weeks every summer. If they were jumping, he would get on the transport as many times as humanly possible. Jump pay was an extra 70 or 80 bucks. On rare occasions he could snag 5 jumps in a weekend. 30 year ago 400 bucks was a pretty nice piece of coin, on top of the regular reservists pay. This was only available a couple times per year but when it was he "jumped" on it. Yeh, dad joke! 6:58 of the video. Guy on the right has a cut away main streaming beside him.

I was teaching a class of PJ's back in the old days (1992). Just going through intros and I tossed out the old joke "Why would anyone want to jump out of good airplane?" One of the guys immediately answered: "I was aircraft maintenance before I was a PJ. I can tell you there is no such thing as a perfectly good airplane!" Was an awesome group. Good way to finish my career. :)

I was a paratrooper in the 80's. This brought back many memories. I've run across another troopers chute, bounced down the side of a c130, and landed through trees. I miss those days. My kids and grandkids are fascinated by my recollections of my past.

7'10 It's NOT a parachute, it is a piece of fabric with a weight attached to it, droped by aircrafts to estimate the point where the parachutes will touch the ground.

nah man, chucking yerself out of a plane is just fun. first plane i ever jumped out of, i was worried the plane would break before i got the door open. by the time we got clearance to jump, i was like let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out etc

They drop their gear on a line so it hits the ground first, and isn't helping to destroy their knees and backs. It is called a static line jump, the line pulls their chute out on the way out after the right distance.

My son was US Army SF. He had a night jump where his main malfunctioned. He pulled his reserve and it opened just in time. Said he couldn't really see the ground and hit harder than he would have liked. No injuries though so we're very happy about that.

The guy who is the first person out is called the "Door Man." You *DO* want to be the Door Man, because you get a great view out the door for a short period before you jump.

One of my uncles was in 17the Airborne in WW2. Did 4 jump in combat including Operation Market Garden. I was in the Coast Guard myself so didn't do any stuff like this. When I was younger I might have tried it but not anymore. I'm really a "feet on the ground" kind of guy. Hats off to all who did it though. Carry on, Lads!

The C-17 Globemaster III aircraft is one of the Air Force's main long-range, heavy transport aircraft. It can deploy 102 paratroopers from two troop doors in a single pass. Airborne forces execute parachute assaults to destroy enemy forces and seize and hold key objectives until linkup with follow-on forces.

Dad’s airborne and suffered a midair collision during a training jump, chute didn’t deploy correctly, the cord wrapped around his leg causing a fair bit of damage to his leg. Fortunately the chute was deployed enough that he was able to get down safely though his leg later swelled up to the size of a watermelon. It was not a good time for him, but at least he lived. The other trooper was completely fine, not a scratch. Dad told me about another trooper who was doing the tower drop and got blown into the tower and broke his back. Anyway yeah this stuff has gone through loads of trial and error, but shit still happens.

Main in back, back-up is on the chest. My cousin was 82nd and did hundreds of jumps in his near 30 year career. These guys are often attached to spec ops or ranger units and come to train with 82 and 101 because they are the best in the US. It's always crazy to see how well-orchestrated and safe these jumps are, but that's why my cousin could retire versus the other way. Thanks for this vid!

Ok so it’s currently 3:20 am in Mississippi and I’m trying to figure out why this video posted at this time then remembered he is in England

Door position or first person as you call it is the best position. You get to see everything and all the rest of the jumpers are behind you so no risk of mid-air collisions.

My Grandpa was 101st airborne, in WW2

I was old school Airborne from back in the 80s, when there was the T-10 nonsteerable and the MC1-1B steerable parachute. I was in 1st Bat 509th Airborne, the unit that made the first Combat jump for the United States military in 1942 into Algiers, North Africa, 2 years before the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.

The long focal length of some of those shots compresses apparent distance so they look closer than they are. Though they are still pretty close, it is what they train for. The whole point is to fly as low as possible so the people aren't in the air any longer than absolutely necessary. Which is why a static line is used. Rather than relying on the soldier to pull the rip-cord, the hook is the rip cord. As you jump out your chute is already deploying, you don't worry about anything.The guy by the door is keeping the previous hooks out of the way of the next jumpers.

It is 4 am and I have insomnia..... When you were checking out the guys "day sacks". I was positive that you first said that is their "nut sacks". I choked on my water, laughing so hard. I need sleep LOL

I am a veteran a member of 82nd airborne division from early 70s to 80 countless jumps many countries. Also did 4 years as airborne engineer were we parachuted bulldozers dump trucks road graders the works . Jumped in behind the equipment and built emergency field landing strips an fire bases .ohhh the tales I could tell. Enjoyed ur video

My son and nephew were in the army and they had to do things no other reasonable person would do, they have hours of training before the jump out of a plane or helicopter. Thank God for our brave men in uniform!

The reserve chute is on the front. On Purple Star back in 96 we had 5000 troops in the air, 29 Hercules aircraft it was amazing. 1 guy was unlucky enough to have a Roman Candle for a parachute. American kit is actually quite badly maintained, we went to Florida in 97 the first 2x chits they pulled out had rips in them. The rest were ok😅. Training jumps are usually from 1000-1200ft, exercise jumps are from 600ft. With an expectation of up to 10% casualties.

I reenlisted on a C-17 (was still testing) in 1997, such an amazing aircraft, and change from the C-130 and C-141 that I was used to Jumping out of hahaha AIRBORNE!!!! And yeah, your Ruck is always hanging from your waste below the reserve...

I heard of a guy running over the top of a chute. Put pull on your opposite riser and try to float away. If you are entangled, grab ahold of each other and quickly discuss which way you want to land. But the first part is accomplished by the parachute rigors and they have to sign their name on the chute and occasionally have to jump with a chute they packed. The next part of the job is performed by the pilot. Does he drop you over a field? Or over a river, or trees? But If the chute fails, deploy your reserve. If that one fails, do whatever you want in your last seconds of life.

Makes me proud to know we have young guys willing to do this for our country! 👍👍

It's fun to be Army airborne and hear "there's little bits missing out of the chutes!" Really fun to watch and listen to. Yes, the square bag on the front is an emergency chute. The cut bits out of the chutes are so you can steer--you pull on the risers (canvas straps) attached to the chute and turn back and forth. You have to land facing the wind, or... it's bad. And hurts.

They are all so calm, they look like they are just boarding a southwest flight.

My husband's best friend has been with the 82nd for the last 20 years. From the little he's able to tell us about missions to 'take out the garbage' they jump in any conditions. Night and day jumps, jumps into enemy territory taking live fire, jumps in the pouring rain, and his favorite: jumps with K-9s. And the craziest thing of all is he absolutely hates heights. I've gone skydiving with him before...he looked like he was ready to puke. And that was just him jumping, no load, no gear, at 13K feet. Said he's never had to be pushed though. Rather take that big first step himself. 😉

Wow! Never thought I would see you do a reaction to one of my jumps. I believe this is the one we had where someone broke their back.

Imagine if you’re the enemy defender you see 1500 parachutes drifting down from the sky. To make it even worse, they are landing behind your line of defense.

The 2nd bag on their chest is a reserve chute if the main one on the back fails. The streamers is see are to give wind info. They have riggers who pack the chutes with a lot of quality checks. Each chute has a serial number & log book. The riggers inspect chutes and signs as the packer. Each chute has an inspection tag also signed by the rigger. Riggers also have to be jump qualified and the also rigg all the heavy loads pushed out the back of planes.

my grandad was in the 82nd and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. to look at him you would never think he was a paratrooper ( being that he was short, about 5' 3"). when asked how a boy from east TX came to be a paratrooper he would say it's because they paid $50 more. he needed the money with a wife and baby on the way. thankfully, he made it back home at the end of the war. he never talked about his time over there. I can't begin to imagine the things he saw, heard, and experienced.

UK logistics exposed. Shocked that over 9 out of 10 government equipment functions as expected haha.

A look inside a can of whoop ass. That is a rifle. No butterflies, just anticipation of a great jump. On my first jump (at age 17 in 1966) I was the third one out the door of a C-119. The jumpmaster is making sure the static lines do not get tangled. The jump altitude is between 1,000 and 1,250 feet. They do have a reserve chute. I also jumped the C-130 and C-141. It is great fun, you should try it at least once. Great video. In jump school we did five jumps and we did have one malfunction that was handled successfully. I don't remember how we had in the class but it was probably close to two hundred.

We always said if you are scared to jump the Marines will take you.

ONE THOUSAND, TWO THOUSAND, THREE THOUSAND! My Dad was an 82d Airborne paratrooper in WWII. I wanna say 508th Regiment (?) He got to Europe in Jan. 1945, a few weeks after the Battle of the Bulge. Took a lot of prisoners, but had no combat jumps. After VE-Day (9 MAY 1945), his unit was in Czechoslovakia, preparing for the invasion of Japan (Kyushu or Honshu) by practicing jumps o😮😮nto swampy ground. Casualties were expected to be enormous. Terrible as the A-Bombs were, they (& the Soviet invasion of Manchuria) ended the war early and probably saved the lives of millions of Japanese, Americans, Russians, other allies, & their descendants. Side note: my Dad said that you could expect to be punched in the jaw if you questioned the riggers' packing of your parachute!

I was a member of the 82nd, and I had over 60 jumps not including sport jumps on the weekends. Yes we had both a main and reserve parachute every time. If we descend on top of another's canopy we would first attempt to run off to avoid entanglement. If we were entangled we would try to join up and land together, this was in the event one of our parachutes failed.

Prous daughter of a crazy paratrooper here. He discharged 1958 - 11 th Airbourne, 10th Special Forces Unit!! Great video!!

My son is a 101st Airborne SCREAMIN EAGLE!! He is based in FT Campbell Kentucky and is a BEAST. It can deploy 102 in a single pass from 2 doors. Can also carry 134 troops in seats with a payload of 170,900 lbs

Hi, old guy here and a Jump Master National Guard Alaska Special Forces. The Army that runs all jump activities 'training' normally has three types of Jumps. One is a full combat jump with full field equipment and weapons with no explosive devices unless authorized for real live event , Second is an Admin jump for qualification airborne status , and Third is Special events jump which use special jump equipment such as non static line jump. Once you complete you five jumps at Ft Benning your training jumps are over and now the next jump will be the most important jump of you life. My three children of one girl and two boys also wear the paratrooper wings along with helicopter , UAV and Military Intelligence insignia. I never told them to do that, but kids will be kids.

All I ever thought was ...get me out of this plane