FORT BENNING, Ga., (July 29, 2015) -- Fort Benning will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Army Airborne School with jumps from six aircraft by approximately 290 personnel Aug. 15 onto Lawson Army Airfield.
"Normally we jump onto Fryar Drop Zone, but the very first jump was on Lawson Army Airfield, where we take off," said Capt. Jesse Sheehan, battalion operations officer, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "It's pretty unique to be able to jump the same location as the very first jump 75 years ago."
The first official Airborne Infantry jump was made on Aug. 16,1940, less than 50 days after the Airborne Infantry test platoon was organized, from a Douglas B-18. 1st Lt. William T. Ryder, the test platoon's platoon leader, and Pvt. William N. "Red" King were the first to make this jump as official paratroopers for the U.S. Army.
In honor of King, the drop zone at Lawson Army Airfield will be named King Drop Zone, to commemorate the founding of Airborne School.
Liberty Jump Team, consisting of 18 civilians, will kick off the event at 9 a.m.
"They're going to be jumping from a C-47, which is the type of aircraft they used in WWII," Sheehan said.
The team members will dress in WWII uniforms and equipment including Normandy D-Day M1942 jump suits and M1C steel helmets, representing
Paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions.
Two UH-60 Blackhawks, from the Pathfinder School, will follow the Liberty team, using MC-6 parachutes to demonstrate how pathfinders secure and set up a drop zone for a main element to conduct Airborne operations.
The remaining jumpers will exit from two C-17 Globemasters and one C-130J, utilizing the modern parachuting and exiting techniques with MC-6 series parachutes.
"Afterwards, there will be a static display so Families can come in and look at the aircraft," Sheehan said.
The display will enable civilians, visitors, Soldiers and their Families to view modern and historical aircraft used for Airborne operations.
Social Sharing