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79 Years of Airborne History At Fort Benning, Birthplace of U.S. Paratrooper
by U.S. Army Bryan Gatchell
Fort Benning Public Affairs Office
October 17, 2019
As the national anthem played, the audience held hands over
hearts and watched as a U.S. Army parachutist glided down from an
unbroken blue sky, pulling a U.S. flag behind him on August 16,
2019.
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A member of the U.S. Army
Parachute Team, commonly known as the Golden Knights,
parachutes onto Fryar Drop Zone during the playing of the
national anthem. Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort
Benning commemorated the 2019 National Airborne Day on
August 16 at Fryar Drop Zone at Fort Benning. (U.S. Army
photo by Patrick Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence,
Fort Benning Public Affairs)
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This special patriotic jump with Old Glory also opened the
Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning's National Airborne
Day observation at Fryar Drop Zone at Fort Benning.
The first test of a U.S. Army paratrooper drop occurred at Fort
Benning 79 years ago on August 16, 1940 when Lt. (later Col.)
William T. Ryder and Lt. (later Lt. Col.) James A. Bassett led the
Airborne Test Platoon. The platoon jumped onto Lawson Field (later
Lawson Army Airfield), completing the first successful military
parachute jump.
After the national anthem, members of the U.S. Army Parachute
Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
and members of the Silver Wings parachute team from Fort Benning
performed a freefall parachute jump demonstration from a UV18 Viking
Twin Otter plane onto Fryar Drop Zone. The Golden Knights jumped in
with golden parachutes, and the Silver Wings jumped in with black
parachutes.
The final two parachutists to land - one from the Golden Knights,
one from the Silver Wings - came in one literally on top of the
other. The Silver Wings parachutist wrapped his legs into the line
of the Golden Knights parachute as if he were sitting on the
parachute, and the Golden Knight carried below him a weighted tether
and a flag emblazoned with the black-and-gold Army star.
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One round of volunteer
parachutists from the Liberty Jump Team jump onto Fryar Drop
Zone. Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning
commemorated the 2019 National Airborne Day on August 16 at
Fryar Drop Zone at Fort Benning. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick
Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public
Affairs)
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"This is where I started jumping out of airplanes, all the way
back in 2006," said Staff Sgt. Houston Creech of the Golden Knights.
"Just being here this day, with all the progression I've gone
through and the skills I've gained through the Army's training -
being able to be here on this specific day is a tremendous honor."
"It's the pride and history of the unit and the organization,"
said Staff Sgt. Joshua Porter, on jumping as part of the Silver
Wings for National Airborne Day. "Our legacy and our history build
the future of what we are right now."
"We're celebrating both
those that came before us, those that are currently training and
defending our nation, and those that come after," said 199th
Infantry Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Roy Young, who jumped as part of
the Silver Wings jump team.
The Liberty Jump Team made two
jumps of 14 and 16 volunteer parachutists following the Golden
Knights and the Silver Wings demonstration. Their members were
dressed in period Army uniforms, displaying what Soldiers would have
worn during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and
Operation Desert Storm. The team jumped from a restored C-47
Skytrain. The particular plane to drop them over Fryar Drop Zone
holds the moniker "Greenland Gopher," and participated in D-Day and
Operation Market Garden during World War II as well as in the Berlin
Airlift.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Jim Micko, member and senior
rigger of the Liberty Jump Team, said his team's jump was in
recognition of the "courage and foresight of the people that took
that first step," referring to the U.S. Army Soldiers who pioneered
airborne operations before and during World War II.
"The fact
that they were able to make it work and make it work in time for the
war is a phenomenal thing," said Micko.
The Golden Knights
are part of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, the mission of which
is to "recruit America's best volunteers to enable the Army to win
in a complex world." Creech made a practical recommendation to
anyone who aspires to become a U.S. Army paratrooper:
"Run,"
he said. "Practice running a lot. You need very strong legs. Do a
lot of squats. If you're going to be jumping out of airplanes, those
legs are going to need to be able to support that weight coming."
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