Airborne jumps into northern Iraq

Knight Ridder Newspapers | March 26, 2003 | KEN DILANIAN

[caisson71]

"Paratroopers dream" indeed. Another notch for the 173rd. God Bless them all!

[fourdeuce82d]

some of the troops are just out of basic training, and others hadn't jumped from an airplane for years, since the five training jumps they completed in parachute school.

ummm...sounds unlikely. Did hear of a Jarhead ANGLICO unit that was starting jump school in Benning when the Grenada thing happened- friend of mine swore he saw the grunts having 'chutes strapped onto them, and getting a brief "okay, when you go out the door, put your hands here, and keep your feet and knees together. Close your eyes, and when the ground kick your ass, reach up here and undo this cape-well thingie."

Jarheads may not be as handsome as us airborne soldiers, but they gots big clanging spheroids....

[Ecliptic]

Seems like I remember that everyone, including Generals, makes 1 or 2 juumps a year...

[jacquej]

This guy is out of it. This was my son's unit, and he went into Northern Iraq to ride shotgun for the troops trying to feed and shelter the Kurds. Vicenza was his home for almost 4 years.

They practice all the time, train all over the world, and are a crack outfit.

You have to be a darn good soldier to even get Vicenza as a post. Only one West Point graduate, for example, gets to go to Vincenza, and they have to be at the top of their, then are trained up the wazoo before they get there. The officers at Vicenza preferr those who have gone thru ranger training.

This is an elite unit, not a bunch of raw recruits!!!

[Future Snake Eater]

Heck, it's not even a "preference," their officers have to be Ranger-qualified to be stationed at Vincenza. I'm putting them down for my first choice duty assignment as well. I know it'll be very difficult as a ROTC cadet, but you never know...

[mrsmith]

All the old former basic trainees sing:

"I want to be an Airborn Ranger
I want to live a life of danger..."

[jacquej]

I know that from personal experience. My son was the lucky WP graduate in '90, and served under Abiziad.

I also know how many times they jump, and how hard they hit the ground. My son has had to have two disks fixed since retiring.

The surgeon said the jumping had done it. Those packs weigh a lot, and you hit the ground at about 30 mph, I think. But, he loved it, and is missing being there with all his friends.

[IIIddontsstutter]

We've got a family friend in this group. Thoughts and prayers go out.

[Future Snake Eater]

Your son sounds high-speed, low-drag. Hooah!

[Norman Arbuthnot]

The bold, carefully planned mission by the 173rd Airborne Brigade was the 29th combat jump in U.S. history,

And most of those must have been in WWII. There have only been a few combat jumps since then. These opportunities don't come along that often. Now the current members of the 173rd get to wear those cool combat jump wings (gold star on the top of the parachute). Nobody (well, almost nobody) wants to go to war, but if you have to go this is a pretty exciting way to do it.

[Gamecock]

It is reported that the 1/61 Armor, !st Infantry Division will be airlifted onto that strip!

[freepersup]

some of the troops are just out of basic training,

wrong- once out of basic training one would attend AIT (advanced individual training) or, in the case of an infantryman- basic and advanced training is combined (trained in their military occupational skill) and 3-4 weeks at the basic airborne training course (unless it's been shortened) would be required.

After these requirements are met, the airborne qualified infantryman, with at least 5 jumps under his belt would be prepared for assignment to a line unit.

Asan aside: If the unit is anything like my old unit, this fresh 'cherry' would have to wear a special steel pot painted white with red cherries adorning the exterior on his first jump with the members of (in this case) the 173RD ABN. INF. DIV.

and others hadn't jumped from an airplane for years, since the five training jumps they completed in parachute school.

wrong- jumpers need to be current in airborne skills just as a pilot needs to be current in flying skills. Airborne infantry jump on the average once a week, some more, some less. Airborne personnel that are not in a combat MSO, jump at a minimum, at least once every three months. At the very least, they would jump by the 5th month because otherwise, they would lose their jump pay / status. FWIW My recollection is that hazardous duty pay is $110 a month.

To report that an airborne infantry division wouldn't require their personnel to jump regularly, is patently false.

Otherwise, shock of shocks, it's a fairly accurate and informative report.

[FreedomPoster]

A brigade jump would literally fill the sky with parachutes. I hope someone on the ground had a camera.

[DAPFE8900]

HUAHHHHHH HERE COMES THE HERD!!!!!! Bump from a proud son of a 173rd Sky Soldier from Vietnam. Watch out Iraq the sky soldiers are in the house! GOD BLESS THEM ALL.....

[FreedomPoster]

>>"I want to be an Airborn Ranger
>>I want to live a life of danger..."

I was a 5-year-old Army Brat at Fort Benning in 1964, and still remember guys running around the training field with the jump towers, O.D. fatigues black with sweat in the GA heat and humidity, belting that out at the top of their lungs for their drill sergeants.

[freepersup]

some of the troops are just out of basic training,

and others hadn't jumped from an airplane for years, since the five training jumps they completed in parachute school.

I see on reading the article again, some of the infantrymen are Ranger qualified. This would be an additional training course AFTER basic training (for obvious reasons) that the infantrymen of the 173RD would have to attend, prior to arriving at their duty station. Candidates for Ranger school have to be airborne qualified, therefore additional jumps would be made during Ranger school.

[PhilDragoo]

Bashur shows NNE of Arbil on this map.

[DAPFE8900]

Remember all the fallen soldiers from Nam and who will fall in this struggle for freedom. The Herd Fought one of the worst battles of vietnam...In the central highlands in 1967. The battle for Dak To and the real Hamburger Hill, Hill 875. God rest all our soldiers souls..And my Step Dad Ronald Blakney Taken Feb 25,1995.