Airborne

Airborne......So far the best Army course I have been to in certain respects. The Airborne Sergeants and company command of Bravo Company have the course running like a well oiled machine. This is also the first time that I have been treated like an  adult let alone an officer, the cadre and the students show respect for officers and NCO's.

Ground Week


You begin the course with a PT test, which you have to pass at the 18-21 year old category.

42 Push Ups
52 Sit Ups
15 min 54 sec or less on the 2 mile run.

During Ground Week you learn how to execute Parachute Landing Falls or PLF's for short. A PLF is exactly what it sounds like... the way you are taught to fall when you hit the ground, except that it is completely unatural. All week long you will practice these, in gravel rocks, all the while wearing a ACH. You will practice PLF's in slow motion, by the numbers, holding that damn helmet up with your head as you lay on the ground trying not to let your neck go into muscle failure. You will realize why paratroopers say that a ACH weighs 10,000 lbs. You also practice PLF's from off of a small wall about 2-3 feet high, and then you'll move on to the Lateral Drift Apparatus, a zip line type thing which you will perform PLF's off of (It's not very high), its funny to see some everyone drop for the first time unsure how bad it will hurt. You will bunny hop in line, sideways, keeping toe to toe and heel to heel contact until it's your turn to do PLF's to strengthen your leg muscles.


You'll do PT in the mornings just like anywhere else, but the PT is not challenging. You run to go run. Never in Airborne School will you walk anywhere. If you're PT for that day is to go for a run, you will form up and double time to the start point of the run.... and THEN your run will begin. All runs are formation runs that are never faster than 9 minute mile pace, it wears on your shins.

During this week you will also perform mock jumps out of a 34 ft. tower while being connected to a zip line that simulates lateral movement out of the aircraft and across a "DZ". You'll practice doing this "Hollywood" style (no ruck sack or weapon, and you'll also do it rigged up with combat equipment, which you have to lower before you get to the end of the zip line. Having jumped out of a plane I now know that this does not replicate exiting the plane at all. If you're to scared to jump from that, you'll be to scared to jump from an aircraft.

TOWER WEEK

The second week is Tower Week, where you will use the Swing Landing Trainer to perform PLF's from a little higher than the first zipline you used in Ground Week. (I think you're on a 12' ledge, not sure of the height though.) The Black Hat has control of your harness at all times, and he'll drop you on your ass when you are at the apex of the swing.

Our course was one of the shortest due to multiple 4 day weekends, so we only had 10 training days including jump week. Due to the shortened course we did not drop from the 250' towers, although we did get a demo of shoot malfunctions from the tower (I hope that no one falls from that height because I think the dummy bounced 5 feet in the air after hitting).


JUMP WEEK

Finally it is Jump Week, this is what you've been training for. You'll get a chance to make five successful jumps from an Aircraft while in flight. Your first jump will be the biggest rush you've ever gotten in your life. Every day that you jump, you will run in formation wearing your ACH, ACU's and boots to the harness shed. It sucks, and I think it's close to two miles but it's not that bad.

Jump week was only 3 days long for me, we did 2 jumps on Sunday, 2 on Monday and 1 on Tuesday (one of which was an un official night jump). I was selected as a chalk leaders so I had my first experience of keeping privates in line. One private who will remain anonymize made the biggest bone head move I have ever seen.

The worst part about jump week is the weather and sitting in the harness shed for hours on end, waiting for the skies to part so that you can jump. While waiting you cannot touch your equipment or any part of your body after being JMPIed by a Jump Master, did I mention you cannot sleep or talk either. So after sitting in the shed for 6 hours without talking or moving everyone gets a little antsy, especially joe. The particular joe I spoke of before had to you the latrine but did not want to disturb the Jump Masters to recheck him. Instead of taking the tongue lashing he ripped a whole in his pants and filled two cups. He tried to hide the cup with the drinking cups and the 1SG caught him, needless to say he was removed from the course. 

All in all I enjoyed the course, it can be mundane and tedious at times but it is a very well ran course with great NCO's. The jumps were a lot of fun and I got a taste of being the leader of a 30 man group (which I loved even if I had little to do or authority). Don't worry no one died and everyone had fun jumping. 

Airborne!

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This is all I have to say about Airborne.