A Marine Called Jason
(Revised)
by: Peter

(© 2007-2015 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 57
Jump School 

After completing basic training again I was sent from Camp Pendleton to Fort Benning, Georgia, for Airborne School.  The guys there were different, yet the same.  I hadn’t gotten my rank back and they thought I was fresh out of boot camp, not knowing that I was out for the second time.  And I was a Marine on an Army base to boot.  I didn’t mind. I respected the rivalry between the Army and Marines and they respected that I was there. Giving me a rough time only enhanced the training for me. 

I arrived at Benning just before noon on the designated day, Friday, armed with ten copies of DA Form 1610, my orders assigning me to the 507th for airborne training.  Noon was the cutoff time for arrival.  Two guys showed up a few minutes after and were assigned to the next class.  I don’t know if they were sent back to their previous duty stations or if they hung around and got shit details. Precisely at noon we were ordered into formation and immediately sent on a four mile run!  I couldn’t believe it. We had forty-five minutes to complete the run.  Several guys dropped out. Several more didn’t make it in the allotted time.  They were all fed and sent back to their units.  I would thank Sgt. Chavez a thousand times for cluing me in and getting me in shape. 

It took the rest of the afternoon to get processed, be assigned barracks and dining facilities, and get issued bedding.  I was glad I was assigned to the Rhineland Regulation Mess; the chow was good. We were issued very little in the way of equipment; a helmet, poncho and canteen--organizational equipment they called it. We were instructed on our mailing address to send and receive mail, consisting of name, rank, serial number, Headquarters, 2nd BN (ABN), 509th IN REGT, Fort Benning, GA 31905. 

There would not be leave time, except emergency leave, but during off duty hours we were allowed to travel within a fifty-mile radius off the base without leave papers. We were cautioned to conduct ourselves as gentlemen and return well rested and on time for company-designated formations.  I still wasn’t sure I would go to the trouble of buying civilian clothes for the short time I would be there.  Anyway, I wasn’t there for a good time.  I had pretty much decided I wasn’t even going to make friends with anyone; the time was too short. 

There was full orientation the next morning. The huge classroom was brought to attention when someone announced Colonel McGuire. He looked like a colonel, close to becoming a general; tall, lean, swarthy face, solid build, and stern features.  He went right into his spiel.   

“A young recruit, after enlisting in Airborne, eagerly asked his recruiter what could be expected from jump school. ‘Well, it’s three weeks long,’ the recruiter told him. ‘What else?’ the recruit asked. ‘The first week they separate the men from the boys, and the second week they separate the men from the fools.’ ‘And what about the third week?’ the recruit asked. ‘The third week, the fools jump.’” He waited for the laughter to die down then added, “So look around you, gentlemen; you are in the company of men, boys and fools.”

 “It takes a special kind of person to volunteer for this assignment; someone with an unflinching spirit of adventure. Someone who can put into practice in three minutes things that have taken three weeks to learn; someone who is willing to live up to the Airborne history of action, dedication and courage.  I wish you all success.”

He kept it short. We came to attention as the colonel exited then we were seated again by the sergeant who had introduced him. Then he introduced himself.

“I am Sergeant Blackburn. I am known as a Black Hat. All instructors at Jump School are called "Black Hats" because of the black hats we wear, as opposed to a regular green Army hat. The Black Hat has their rank and their jump wings on it. The proper way to address the Black Hat is "Clear, Sergeant, Airborne," or "Not Clear, Sergeant, Airborne." There is no other way; both terms should be stated in a loud and thunderous voice.”

“I am your PT instructor.  I am not here to turn you from a ninety-pound weakling into a muscle Adonis.  I’m here to build on what you brought with you.  Having said that, I hope, gentlemen, that you came prepared….that you are capable of running a minimum of five miles within 45 minutes, perform 20 four-count pushups without difficulty, do at least eighty sit-ups and execute at least ten dead-hang pull-ups in the required amount of time. If you cannot, I will not see you here tomorrow.”

“You’re going to have PT first thing every morning, then seven or eight hours of demanding, rigorous physical training on top of that.  Again, I hope you all came prepared.” 

“The primary mode of transportation at Airborne School is the Leather Cadillac; that is, on foot.  A great deal of that locomotion is done at double time, or 180 steps per minute. It’s called the Airborne shuffle. The pace of the run is not quite a run, not quite a walk; but right in the middle. You must be comfortable running in formation and having enough breath left over to sing cadence. Pay attention to Airborne students in front of you, to your sides and even behind you while in formation.  If those to your front or sides fall, they could take you down with them.  Likewise, a stumble on your part could affect the person behind you.  Keep your eyes and ears open while running in formation to reduce the risk of accidents.”

“Be aware that falling out of a formation run on two occasions is grounds for dismissal from the school.  Falling out does not mean that you voluntarily fall out to the side of the road.  Falling out means that you are more than two paces behind the runner in front of you.  You will run every morning.   During physical training you’ll wear running shoes, but for the rest of those twelve-hour days, plan on running in your boots.  Stay physical, gentlemen.  It is the only way you will survive this course.  Being physically tough is the foundation for everything else you will do here.”

Sgt. Blackburn looked to the side with a nod then left the podium. I said I wasn’t going to make friends, but I sure wouldn’t mind getting friendly with Sgt. Blackburn.  His ass was something to write home about, the way it flexed inside his pants when he walked, not to mention the way he filled out his uniform overall.  It was easy to see why he was the PT instructor.  And it was a damned good thing I was only going to be there for three weeks.

Another sergeant came out and took up where Blackburn left off.  Sgt. Harris was a tall, lean, lanky man with a stern face.  Just looking at him, you knew he meant business.

“Contrary to what you might believe, you are not here to learn how to jump out of an airplane.  Any damn fool can jump out of an airplane.  You are here to learn how to land safely and get on with the mission.”

“At Jump School, you will be introduced to your best friend--your parachute.  You'll get to know everything about it. How to pack it, wear it, adjust it, use it, the works. You'll also learn all the techniques needed to accomplish your mission with absolute confidence.  How to stay loose; get ready for impact; let your legs absorb the shock; roll and collapse your chute quickly; release your harness; un-sling your weapon; and deploy into position.”

“The most important thing I can say to you is, never quit.  Some of you will not make it through this school, but never let it be said that it was because you quit.  If you give it your all and still don’t make it, you will depart with my respect. If I see that you’ve given up, know that I send you off with my boot in your ass. Airborne training is physically demanding, mentally challenging and a test of moral courage. After all, the Airborne soldier, sailor, airman or Marine must sufficiently trust his equipment and skills in order to jump from an aircraft flying 1,250 - 1,500 feet above the ground.”

“Airborne students are broken into “sticks” of ten to twelve men and there are four to five sticks in each of the training company’s platoons. At the beginning of each day, the stick leader--an Airborne student appointed to the position--is responsible for checking the appearance and physical condition of each person in the stick. Uniforms and boots that do not measure up to standards will cause the Airborne student and his or her stick leader to be assessed a number of penalty exercises. There will be times when the entire platoon will take part in these penalty exercises.  Everyone in the stick should cooperate to minimize this unpleasantness. The Black Hats will demand the utmost performance from every student and no quarter will be given for those too tired or too weak to participate in the training.  While it may sound improbable or even impossible to you at this point, graduating from Airborne School is all about having confidence in yourself, your stick, your equipment and the school’s staff.”

“Jump school consists of three phases, each lasting a week. The first week is Ground Training Week. During ground week, you will encounter daily physical fitness and basic parachute training.  You will be taught how to wear the parachute harness and how to use special training apparatus. You will be instructed in the parachute landing fall, aircraft exits, the lateral drift simulator and jump simulations on the 34-foot tower.  In the first week, it is imperative that you display to the “Black Hats” your motivation, focus, strength and ability to follow instructions. You must qualify on the 34-foot tower, the LDA--that is the lateral drift apparatus--and pass all PT requirements to go on to Tower Training week.” 

He walked over to a large easel with a pointer in his hand.

“The mock door allows you to learn the proper method of exiting an aircraft; the parachute landing fall platform assists you in developing proper parachute landings. The LDA develops the proper technique for controlling the parachute during descent; and the 34-foot tower exposes you to the physical sensation of the actual jump.”

“The second week is Tower Week. The second week of training is a learning reinforcement period with continued physical training and the addition of more apparatus such as the swing-landing trainer, which teaches the student to deal with oscillation and landing falls. In this second week, the cadet is also taught landing procedures and recovery from the drag.  Parachute jumps from the 250-foot tower culminate this week of training and constitute the final transition from ground training to actual parachuting.”

“Airborne students will practice further on the 34-foot tower, but they will also experience training on the Swing Land Trainer, the Suspended Harness and possibly conduct jumps from the 250-foot tower.  This tower, by the way, was derived from the parachute ride tower at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The training during this second week is a combination of physical and technical. Stay alert.”

“The individual skills learned during week one will be refined during tower week and a team effort or "mass exit" concept is added to the training. The apparatus used during this week are the SLT--swing lander trainer—the SH--suspended harness--the 250 foot free tower, and the wind machine. Week two completes the individual skill training and builds team effort skills. You must qualify on the mass exit procedures, the SLT, and pass all PT requirements to go forward to jump training week.”

“The third and final week is Jump Week, when your training all comes into focus.  If it is determined that you are not ready to jump you will not enter this phase. Between Monday and Thursday of that last week, you will jump five times from military aircraft including the C-130 and the C-17. These jumps will be conducted with minimum equipment, including simulated weapons. Four of those jumps will take place in daylight while one must be a night jump. Graduation is held on the last Friday of the course for those students who successfully complete all training and jumps. Savor the moment when your Black Hat pins those silver wings on your chest.”

Someone stepped up and whispered something.

“Oh, I failed to mention, if you prefer your mother, father, brother, wife or girlfriend to pin your wings on, that is allowed.” He smiled.  “Trust me, gentlemen, if the jump doesn’t give you a hardon, having your girlfriend pin those wings on your chest will.”

I think I hated the parachute landing falls more than anything else. The five points of contact between your body and the ground as you are hitting the ground are the balls of your feet, the calf muscle, the thigh muscle, the buttocks, and the pushup muscle; in that order. Failure to hit the ground in this form will probably put your head into the ground, hard.  We had to do them until they were perfect and then we did some more, and we did them in the worst possible terrain. We did them into small woodchips. For the next few weeks after training, we would continue to discover these woodchips coming out of every part of our bodies. We did them into pits lined with small rocks, specially designed to cause great discomfort. We did them till we got them right.

Some guys were scared when it came to the towers; you could see it in their faces despite their brave attempts to conceal it from those around them, and especially from the Black Hats. It didn’t work, of course; the Black Hats were trained to smell fear. For me, I was so damned excited about what I was doing that exhilaration overtook fear. I suppose a shrink could’ve analyzed it but I credited it to a lethal mix of adrenalin and testosterone, fueled by desire.  I wasn’t the perfect student by any means. I fucked up right along with the best of them but the difference with me, I was told later, was that I got really pissed at myself when I fucked up and I never fucked up the same thing twice.  I learned from my mistakes and by the time we were ready to jump I was probably the most confident guy in our stick.

I was excited as hell when it came time for my first real jump. I couldn’t sleep the night before. The airfield was a couple of miles away, and yes, we Airborne shuffled there, and back. We could see the planes on the tarmac. For us, the plane of choice was the C-130 Hercules, chosen by the jumpmaster. We waited for our time to get onto the planes. This was it! The previous weeks of training had prepared us for this week, devoted to our five qualifying jumps at 1250 feet.  We had already received a review of possible malfunctions and aircraft orientation. We got into our "sticks," or lines, and walked onto the aircraft. We sat in very small mesh seats and the plane took off.  It was noisy and it made you wonder if the damned thing would hold together.  When we were ten minutes away from jumping, the jumpmaster yelled, "Ten Minutes." We yelled back, in unison, "Ten Minutes, Ten Minutes, Ten Minutes,” moving from right to left as we yelled it, supposedly to ensure that your buddy is awake. In the event of a long flight to a drop zone this would certainly wake everyone up.

As we got closer, the jumpmaster opened both side doors of the aircraft. The cold air rushed in, making the excitement that much more intense. The jumpmaster actually got onto his knees, and leaned out of the door so he could see below the aircraft, making sure that there were no aircraft below us, and no other obstacles that we could hit during our descent.  He did this for about one minute and then gave the Air Force Load Master the thumbs up for us to go.

The jumpmaster then yelled, "Drop Zone Coming Up, Get Ready!"

We again in unison stated, "Get Ready!"

The jumpmaster yelled, "Stand Up."

We all stood up.

Then "Hook Up!" This was to hook our parachute cords up to the static line.

Then "Check Static Lines!" The order to check our parachute cords to ensure that they were safely connected to the line. Then one more equipment check before we went to stand in the door.

Once you stand in the door, there is only one way off…. through the door and into the wind.  A master sergeant four men ahead of me got to the door and froze.  Just as they had told us, the jumpmaster put a foot in his butt--the fourth point of contact--and out the door he went. After exiting the aircraft, you count to four to ensure that you feel your parachute open. The parachute is connected to the aircraft and opens automatically after a short distance. After four seconds if you do not feel the sharp pull of your parachute opening, you must deploy your reserve chute that is attached to your chest.

There were three guys standing ahead of me, then two, then one….suddenly, almost before I realized it, I was out the door; I didn’t even hesitate.  I’d laid awake all night thinking about this moment. I jumped.  Once airborne, I began the count to four loudly, waiting to feel the pull of the parachute opening. I admit to a split second of panic before I felt it open, then I enjoyed the very long couple of seconds before the PLF's that we’d practiced so many times. My landing was good. I was proud of myself.  No, I was damned proud.

My second landing was better.  On my third jump, I got careless.  I guess I was over confident. I didn't tuck my chin enough to my chest. My helmet fell off and I landed without the helmet. A Black Hat quickly came up to me and started yelling at me. A couple of minutes later, another Black Hat came by with my helmet and yelled at me some more.  I took it in stride--I’d fucked up--and made a mental note to myself, tuck in your chin, stupid.

All through the whole experience of jumping I thought about everything that could go wrong, for the purpose of making sure they did not go wrong. The Black Hats had educated us on the different malfunctions that you could have and how to overcome them, and I remembered them well, except for the chin thing.  The worst example was, what if the parachute doesn't open.  They tell you to quickly pull your reserve parachute.  Luckily, this five-jump-chump didn't have too many problems.

A five-jump-chump is someone who has successfully completed Jump School, making all five jumps and received his wings. I never popped the cherry at Jump School.  That would come later, making my first jump--the sixth--with a regular unit.

The night jump was a little scary but I was excited about it, and the lethal mix of adrenalin and testosterone kicked in to ward off any fears I might’ve had.  It was an awesome experience, descending 1250 feet in the moonlit night, like a bunch of black ghosts. I could easily imagine how such a sight could strike fear in the hearts of an enemy, like death literally raining down on them.

To be continued...  

Posted: 03/06/15 rp