RIP.
And no, it’s not too soon:
Blood on the Risers (to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic)
He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright
He checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar
You ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
“Is everybody happy?” cried the sergeant looking up
Our hero feebly answered, “Yes,” and then they stood him up
He jumped into the icy blast, his static line unhooked
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock
He felt the wind, he felt the cold, he felt the awful drop
The silk from his reserve spilled out and wrapped around his legs
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
The risers swung around his neck, connectors cracked his dome
Suspension lines were tied in knots around his skinny bones
The canopy became his shroud, he hurtled to the ground
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
The days he lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind
He thought about the girl back home, the one he’d left behind
He thought about the medico’s and wondered what they’d find
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
The ambulance was on the spot, the Jeeps were running wild
The medics jumped and screamed with glee
Rolled up their sleeves and smiled
For it had been a week or more since last a chute had failed
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
He hit the ground, the sound was splat, his blood went spurting high
His comrades, they were heard to say, “A helluva way to die.”
He lay there rolling round in the welter of his gore
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the chute
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratrooper suit
He was a mess, they picked him up and poured him from his boots
And he ain’t gonna jump no more
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
He ain’t gonna jump no more
Glory, glory, what a hell of a way to die. In the PPCLI!
One of the happiest days of my life was walking off the drop zone after my fifth and final jump at Fort Benning
Sung that often. Still do sometimes.