US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event

By Sgt. James AveryJuly 8, 2015

US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), stand at parade rest in formation after a multinational foreign jump wings ceremony was held at the Great L... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, operated by B Company, 43rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, prepare to land and pickup their cargo - a multinational force comprised of U.S. Army Dog Company, 1st Bat... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A u.S. Army Soldier, assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), descends to the ground using a T-11 parachute during a multinational exercise with their Lithuanian Land F... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Angel Nicanor, left, assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), assists Lithuanian Land Forces Pvt. Vidas Balezentis, a paratrooper assigned to A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US Soldiers participate in multinational foreign jump wings event
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno follows behind Lithuanian Land Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Almantas Leika, left, as he awards a Soldier, assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Comba... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

RUKLA, Lithuania (July 7, 2015) -- As the morning sun rose above the trees at the range control station for the Great Lithuanian Hetman Jonusas Radvila Training Regiment here, U.S. Army and Lithuanian Land Forces Soldiers started suiting up for a foreign jump wings event.

The event would culminate in an awards ceremony presided over by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.

As U.S. Army Jump Masters, assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), checked over the T-11 parachute packs alongside U.S. Army riggers, Lithuanian soldiers, assigned to Algirdo Battalion, donned the previously unfamiliar parachute system.

However, thanks to bilateral training, the now combined U.S./Lithuanian force proved that through interoperability with NATO partnerships, barriers such as language and gear specifications could be overcome.

As final checks were made, the sound of helicopters slowly filled the air. Two UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters swooped in from the west and landed gently in an open area upwind from the staged paratroopers and 12 jumpers made for the helicopters in single file - two Lithuanian soldiers to every four Americans.

Lithuanian Sgt. 1st Class Rolanidas Mencevicius smiled as he climbed into the helicopter.

"Because I have jumped with the Americans before, I know what to expect," Mencevicius said. "But some of us [Lithuanian soldiers] have not jumped with anyone else. This is a new experience for them and what they learn they can immediately put into practice."

Back in the setup area, Soldiers continued to don gear, check, re-check and then have a battle buddy check it again. Only then would a jumpmaster do a final check to ensure the safety of that trooper.

Spc. Sean Toohey checked to make sure his battle buddy Pfc. Willard Beaver's harness was snug and hooked on Beaver's reserve chute.

"We get to train a lot, said Toohey, a native of Leominster, Massachusetts. "But when you throw in jumping with someone, who barely speaks your language, it makes things very interesting. Fortunately, everyone speaks Army, and when you train together, the same way, it just works."

The jumpmasters made final checks and secured their jumpers into the helicopters. The Black Hawks lifted off, ascending to around 1,200 feet and the paratroopers fell free into the open air above a disused airstrip now used for training in Rukla.

One at a time, they fell from the helicopter, rip-cords were pulled and chutes opened, delivering the troopers back to terra firma. At once, they began to repack their chutes into large bags designed to carry the entire load of harness, T-11 chute and reserve chute.

The jumpers walked a short distance to waiting trucks, where they stowed their gear and made themselves for a rare ceremony on Lithuanian soil, made even more potent with the arrival of Odierno, who with the help of Lithuanian Land Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Almantas Leika as well as U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges and 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element Commander Brig. Gen. Mike Tarsa, presented the troopers with foreign jump wings, respective to each nation.

"This is another example of the importance of us [NATO allies] training together," Odierno said. "Small unit is where our training starts. That's the most difficult part of being interoperable with other countries, being able to train at the lowest level."

U.S. Army Europe is leading Operation Atlantic Resolve enhanced land force multinational training and security cooperation activities taking place across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria to ensure multinational interoperability, strengthen relationships among allied militaries, contribute to regional stability and demonstrate U.S. commitment to NATO.

The United States and its NATO allies, throughout the world, train together with the hope that if security becomes an issue, then those respective allies will be able to work with one another seamlessly.

Related Links:

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno

Army.mil: Europe News