# Your worst jump experience..........share ?



## 8'Duece (Dec 26, 2007)

Worst jump (Airborne) experiences. Share your worst jump experience. 

Worst: 1987 CAPEX at night during the month of December at Ft. Bragg, N.C. over Sicily DZ. Four C-130's loaded to the max with jumpers. We started the JMPI process at Popes tarmac about 2200 hrs. As with any jump we got kitted up, JMPI'd, then told sit and enjoy em if ya got em. We lied on the tarmac for an hour and half listening the birds rail up their engines. For you non jumpers there's a reason that sitting this long behind big birds is something you don't want to do as you'll breath enough bird fuel to make you nausiated and sick to your stomach. 

We finally load up and now our equipment feels like it's about twice it's orginal weight due to the slight rain we sat in for an hour and a half. Take off is smooth but we're now flying nap of the earth and this where the stomach can sometimes turn on you a bit. About five guy's decide to show their last meal all over their ruck sack and it's now smelling like dog vomit all through out the flight, which I'll again remind you was a nap of the earth flight. :bleh:

Prior to the jump First Sergeant say's "Remmber to stay away from those shiny spots when your preparing to do your PLF, it's freezing out there and those shiny spots are water and ice"...............yeah, been there done that and for the newbies and their "Cherry Jump" it's great advice since you don't want to spend the next week out in the field with a wet start to your stay in the boonies of Ft. Bragg. 

We get the warning, inboard personal rise, then outboard, hook up, check static lines, check equipment, you know the drill. Doors open, deafening sound of the engines of the aircraft and that black hole of a door your about to be running out of. We get the two minute warning then "Stand in the Door"...................finally the stick starts moving, we're going and we're moving quick, suddenly the stick stops cold and I'm knocked over by the jumper in back of me. Someone had tripped himself up in the front of the stick now several of us are lying top of each other trying get to our feet and our statics are now unraveling from their stows. :doh:

Jumpmaster is frantic, wind is howling in the doors, chaos ensues. We finally get to our feet get to the door and I exit only to feel the cold wind and it feels like I'm being blasted by sub zero ultra fans. I count out my 4's and feel the sudden pull on the riser and my harness...............good, I've got full canopy and it's getting quite and now it's just me and my job. I look around and realize it's foggy as hell and I can't see any of the other jumpers in the air so I stick to my decent and do touch the risers. Suddenly , Oh shit, I'm walking on someones silk !!!! pulling the riser to the left to try get off this clowns silk and kick at it the same time and I lose my air.:eek: I fall kike what feels 200 feet before my canopy get's it full dose of air again and suddenly BANG !!!!!! I'm already on the ground and I'm in that damn "Shiny Spot" that First Sergeant told us about....................Shit, I'm soaked to the bone, I did not lower my ruck, and at that very moment as I reach up to release the canopy from the harness another BAMMMM !!!! A jumper has landed smack on top of me with both feet !!!!! 

Now we are both wet, my ribs are killing me and his ruck was still in his rig and he suffered a broken tibia. Shit, we're both here, I've got broken ribs, we're wet up to chin and he's yelling liking a stuck pig due the broken tibia. 

We got lucky as we had landed fairly close to the rally point at Sicily DZ and there was a medic truck there ready for injuries. We both got taken to Womack and I never saw him again for several day's. I had two broken ribs and he had a compound fracture of the tibia. 

Other than having one Maywest, that was the worst jump I ever had doing the silk dance at night in the rain with heavy equipment.

VIDEO: https://www.benning.army.mil/videos/video05/index.htm


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## AWP (Dec 26, 2007)

I broke my back on a daytime Hollywood jump from a UH-60. I'm almost too embarrassed to tell that one.


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## JustAnotherJ (Dec 26, 2007)

Freefalling said:


> I broke my back on a daytime Hollywood jump from a UH-60. I'm almost too embarrassed to tell that one.



it's ok man.  Mine is summed up in 4 words: Lowering Line Wasn't Attached.

that was on like my 2nd-3rd combat Equip. jump.  i just wish i had broken something to have taken my mind off how stupid i was.

mistake has not been repeated.


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## Charlie (Dec 26, 2007)

DZ wadi, Jordan 1989

First overseas deployment and still a cherry in Batt, mid deployment we did a jump with the Jordanian SF out of creaky C-130A's (Had to snaplink to the floor) into a moonless night with a stiff breeze. I landed in a wadi snapping my right ankle and popping my boot laces. Being a cherry I was not about to pop a red chem so I used my weapon as a crutch to hobble back to the DZSO, along the way I got yelled out by an unknown person for using my weapon as such. Me and a few others got airlifted to King Hussein Hospital and finally to Germany for surgery.
here is a Wadi
http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/media/blogs/kuwait/SAANR-Wadi.jpg 

Second worse was jumping into Ali Al-Saleem in '91, very windy, lots of rubble, barbwire and mines to avoid....lots of guys got hurt that jump.


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## JustAnotherJ (Dec 26, 2007)

Charlie said:


> DZ wadi, Jordan 1989
> here is a Wadi
> http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/media/blogs/kuwait/SAANR-Wadi.jpg



what sadistic fuck did your DZ survey?!


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## AWP (Dec 26, 2007)

Risky and Nervous DZ's in Puerto Rico kind of sucked. Old bombing ranges.....


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## Polar Bear (Dec 26, 2007)

Great Thread folks


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## Charlie (Dec 26, 2007)

The landing area was the plateau, but due to the wind a lot of us landed off the side. 
The trip to the hospital was interesting. For some reason they had to use a Land Rover to take us to a location where a Super Puma could land. All I could think of was the Puma that crashed a few days before in front of our tents...but we arrived safely, I felt so bad for (Now CSM Hall) as he broke his pelvis and any movement was torture. At the hospital I was so ashamed to have not listened to my mother and put fresh skivvies on (You know the deal, you never know!)...2 weeks in the desert I was pretty ripe plus going commando...and with the nurse cutting my pants off I thought she was going to shorten Mr Willy. But they were all professional even if I couldn't communicate with them. Eventually a doc came in asking me if I wanted them to operate or I could go to Germany, I didn't think twice when I said Germany. So I got on a C9 that stopped at every place in the Mediterranean to pick people up. It sure did have a pretty flight crew


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## 8'Duece (Dec 26, 2007)

Actually, Polar Bear saw a picture (8x10) of me about to land with both main and reserve canopy deployed on my maywest adventure. If I can ever get this damn printer to scan properly I'll share it in this thread.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 26, 2007)

JustAnotherJ said:


> what sadistic fuck did your DZ survey?!



It's a fucked up DZ, but aren't we supposed to be super troopers ???


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## CAL (Dec 26, 2007)

Overall I count myself lucky not to have been seriously injured on any of my jumps.  That being said, my worst jump was my last one, December 19th, 2000.  The good part was that it was a hollywood jump on Sicily DZ.  We hotloaded right on the tarmac so it was pretty sweet.  There were high winds and the jump should've been scratched, but of course it wasn't because the Venezuelans were in town and the powers that be wanted to make sure it went off. In fact, they suspended the jump for a bit because of the high winds for the chalk right in front of me. They eventually resumed the jump and I wished I'd stayed in bed that morning by the time it was all through. All went well all the way until my 4th point of performance. About the time came to "prepare to land", the wind once again had picked up and I was flying across the DZ. When I landed, I got the wind knocked out of me and my ankle was fucked up. On top of that, I heard and felt my back pop all the way up. As I lay there like a drunk who got hit with a taser, all I could think about was how fucking cold it was. When I regained my breath I felt kind of fucked up and I hobbled my ass off the DZ. The next morning when I woke up I knew I was fucked. I felt like Hulk Hogan had given me a backbreaker in the ring. That was the beginning of the end of me.  I went to sick call and that was the beginning of many visits to the hospital, physical therapy, etc.  Finally they called no joy on me.  I was given a choice to reclass to a "desk MOS" or I'd be put out.  I couldn't see myself going to some bullshit unit off status so I chose to get out.  The rest is history.....


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## 8'Duece (Dec 26, 2007)

CAL said:


> Overall I count myself lucky not to have been seriously injured on any of my jumps.  That being said, my worst jump was my last one, December 19th, 2000.  The good part was that it was a hollywood jump on Sicily DZ.  We hotloaded right on the tarmac so it was pretty sweet.  There were high winds and the jump should've been scratched, but of course it wasn't because the Venezuelans were in town and the powers that be wanted to make sure it went off. In fact, they suspended the jump for a bit because of the high winds for the chalk right in front of me. They eventually resumed the jump and I wished I'd stayed in bed that morning by the time it was all through. All went well all the way until my 4th point of performance. About the time came to "prepare to land", the wind once again had picked up and I was flying across the DZ. When I landed, I got the wind knocked out of me and my ankle was fucked up. On top of that, I heard and felt my back pop all the way up. As I lay there like a drunk who got hit with a taser, all I could think about was how fucking cold it was. When I regained my breath I felt kind of fucked up and I hobbled my ass off the DZ. The next morning when I woke up I knew I was fucked. I felt like Hulk Hogan had given me a backbreaker in the ring. That was the beginning of the end of me.  I went to sick call and that was the beginning of many visits to the hospital, physical therapy, etc.  Finally they called no joy on me.  I was given a choice to reclass to a "desk MOS" or I'd be put out.  I couldn't see myself going to some bullshit unit off status so I chose to get out.  The rest is history.....



For those of us that are "Airborne" and not just "five jump chumps" we are a brother hood. All it takes is just one jump and we can be staring a desk in the face or get our VA benefits and or try our best to get off profile and get back in the game........................Here's too ya.


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## car (Dec 26, 2007)

Sounds like Sicily is bad luck.  OK, here's mine - jumpnig the Operation Toy Drop jump in 2000.  Sicily DZ. The winds were strong all day blowing from the bleachers across the DZ (west to east), so the AF and JMs had been adjusting to the point that the lift before me was released over the bleachers in order to hit center line of the DZ.  Just before we thought we gonna go, the AF announced that they were out of fuel, so they were returning to Pope for gas and a new JM team (Germans that year).  We finally got going, but with new aircrews, a new JM team, and apparently no hand-off brief about the wind.

I was #1 jumper on my aircraft and pretty familiar with Sicily. So as I'm standing in the door I notice that we're back over center line.  Not good.  I tried to tell the German JM to go around, tried to tell the new load to tell the nav to adjust the approach on the next pass.  They were having none of it.

So the green light comes on and away we go.  I'm pulling riser slip almost before my chute opened.  As I'm trying to figure out where in the hell I'm gonna land, I hear the #2 jumper (another master blaster) holler, "Hey 1SG! Look!"  He's pointing at a clearing (LZ) way to hell and gone past the DZ and he's running for it.  I climbed my risers as best I could, but it was too late. Landed in the tree line, straddling a small tree.  Lucky for me that those long leafed pines on Bragg are "soft woods." I walked away, but my 'chute was strung out over three smaller trees.  The assholes running the jump (USACAPOC) didn't want to give up their recovery vehicle until all passes were clear, but I couldn't leave until I turned in my chute. "Fuck you, sergeant. I'll take care of it myself, but I can't guarantee the condition the chute will be in."

So, some buddies with a HMMVEE gave me a ride.  We attached the harness to the brush guard and ripped that fucker out of the tree.  I took it back to the NCO who refused me use of the truck and recovery gear. "Here ya go, buddy. Have an Airborne day."


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## 275ANGER! (Dec 27, 2007)

Never really had a bad jump but plenty of shitty landings/"PLFs".

But this thread did remind me of this
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002508226_webparachute20.html


> FORT LEWIS — The Army Ranger killed in a parachute training jump at Fort Lewis last week was a 24-year-old from Davenport, Lincoln County, the military said yesterday.
> 
> Pfc. Blake W. Samodell was pronounced dead at Madigan Army Medical Center after the accident Thursday afternoon, according to a press release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
> 
> ...



These guys were in my platoon.  
Just an update on the two guys, I will use abbrevations for privacy reasons.  
"TR" got medically discharged and is currently attending college.  I can't remember his injuries but he walks on his own power with the help of leg braces. 
"AR" is still active at this moment.  He was offered a medical discharge but denyed it to fulfill his obligation and took a less physical job in Battalion.  After a couple of months back at work he got sick of the work and came back to the platoon.  This guy is an animal, if you would see him there is no way you would think he fell a couple hundred feet.  He is currently serving as a Rifle Team Leader.  He has a titanum femur and has pretty much "recovered" (he can keep up in runs).  He also completed a water jump after the accident.

RIP Samodell


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## Boondocksaint375 (Dec 27, 2007)

Afghanistan lol.  Not the best place for having a bad jump, but starting with inside the bird, I wanted to hurl from the worst turbulence I had ever felt.  We were packed into the 130 with some over sized equipment and an STS detachment, so I didn't really want to hurl.  When we hooked up, it was a bitch to stay close to the wall with all the rocking, not to mention I weighed 170 lbs and weighed in at 300 before getting on the bird.  As we exited, it was pitch black.  Meaning I couldn't see any horizon, couldn't see the ground, - I couldn't see shit!  The temperature didn't help either, as it was pretty cold which just increased our rate of decent...not like a T-10c really needed that at the time lol.  So here I am...drifting to what I hoped was the ground because I might of well have had my eyes gouged out, since I couldn't see a thing.  There was no "check canopy and gain canopy control."  It was more like "it kind of felt like my chute deployed...lets hope it did!"   So down down I go, when I hit the ground nobody...WHAM! The one second I separated my feet and knees from each other I hit the ground.  Probably being one of the reasons why I shattered my heel.  It was the first time a jump had knocked the wind out of me.  At that point I'm sucking air trying to get my nods & saw into operations.   To make a long story short, we did a lot of running that night, and it felt like I was running on glass (the glass being my bone :\ ).  

There was another time we did an exercise at Ft...(can't remember the name..rangerpsych help me out! lol) where we ended up landing on a busy interstate.  It wasn't a bad jump though since I didn't get injured! lol


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## Kurt V (Dec 27, 2007)

In 36 military jumps never had so much as a sprained ankle. Did a few feet, ass, head PLF's but that's about it. However I did have one high pucker factor jump. Was at Ft. Drum, back when it was still Camp Drum. Had a cigarette roll. For whatever reason I couldn't get to my quick releases so I pulled my reserve. People on the ground said it looked like it only partially inflated before I hit the ground. Either because of the snow, or the fact that I am just one tough mofo I had no injuries. The medics who came racing over were quite disappointed.


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## x SF med (Dec 27, 2007)

Working in the Womack ER during my reclass to 18D... on the same day as an 82nd Div Mass-Tac, with equipment (dropped first).  150 tib-fibs, 6 backs, 3 guys through deuce and a half windshields with multiple lacs and fractures, 3 femurs, and who the hell knows how many strains.  And to top it off...  Mrs COL Smith came in with a sick baby, she avoided peds sick call "too many enlisted wives, and I had bridge...", long story short - I told her she'd have to wait until the soldiers were seen, there was a mass casualty at the DZ, we can get you some peds tylenol...   (Repeat about 4x over 5 hrs)  Until she went ballistic on me - I'm Mrs COL Smith, who are you, I demand to be seen, repeat mantra plus My Rank name, unit, CO, quals...  fever (101) broke on the kid after the 2nd dose of Tylenol, she went home.  Next day - tired and back on duty after a triple ER shift, and less than 6 hrs off...  I get called into the lead doc and Charge Nurse's office....  Lo and Behold! COL Smith!  (I'm thinking my career is at an end, esp when the SF Tng Grp Cdr walks in and greets Smith by first name...)  Doc and Maj Nurse are shitting (I was past that) until the COL (82nd Abn) reaches over to shake my hand...  SGT XXXX, thank you for working so hard on the guys yesterday, and Thank You for being firm yet polite with my wife, she needed that little lesson that she has no rank, and soldiers come first in this ER...  No 1/2 flight, No canopy, worst jump of my life.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> Working in the Womack ER during my reclass to 18D... on the same day as an 82nd Div Mass-Tac, with equipment (dropped first).  150 tib-fibs, 6 backs, 3 guys through deuce and a half windshields with multiple lacs and fractures, 3 femurs, and who the hell knows how many strains.  And to top it off...  Mrs COL Smith came in with a sick baby, she avoided peds sick call "too many enlisted wives, and I had bridge...", long story short - I told her she'd have to wait until the soldiers were seen, there was a mass casualty at the DZ, we can get you some peds tylenol...   (Repeat about 4x over 5 hrs)  Until she went ballistic on me - I'm Mrs COL Smith, who are you, I demand to be seen, repeat mantra plus My Rank name, unit, CO, quals...  fever (101) broke on the kid after the 2nd dose of Tylenol, she went home.  Next day - tired and back on duty after a triple ER shift, and less than 6 hrs off...  I get called into the lead doc and Charge Nurse's office....  Lo and Behold! COL Smith!  (I'm thinking my career is at an end, esp when the SF Tng Grp Cdr walks in and greets Smith by first name...)  Doc and Maj Nurse are shitting (I was past that) until the COL (82nd Abn) reaches over to shake my hand...  SGT XXXX, thank you for working so hard on the guys yesterday, and Thank You for being firm yet polite with my wife, she needed that little lesson that she has no rank, and soldiers come first in this ER...  No 1/2 flight, No canopy, worst jump of my life.



What year was that ??? I think that may have been my "Worst Jump" scenario in my first post.


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## car (Dec 27, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> What year was that ??? I think that may have been my "Worst Jump" scenario in my first post.



I remember a night like that.  I had five different folks from my company in the ER at the same time. The Division G2 SGM broke his leg and damned near lost it later.  Finally left Division becasue he couldn't jump anymore, although CSM Thorpe told him he could stick around until retirement.

We may be talking about the same night.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

car said:


> I remember a night like that.  I had five different folks from my company in the ER at the same time. The Division G2 SGM broke his leg and damned near lost it later.  Finally left Division becasue he couldn't jump anymore, although CSM Thorpe told him he could stick around until retirement.
> 
> We may be talking about the same night.



It was in 87 if that helps. :)


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

275ANGER! said:


> Never really had a bad jump but plenty of shitty landings/"PLFs".
> 
> But this thread did remind me of this
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002508226_webparachute20.html
> ...



"Shitty landings"........................you mean like "Feet, ass, head"  ;)


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## car (Dec 27, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> It was in 87 if that helps. :)



My mistake.  I was somewhere further south in '87. ;)


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## x SF med (Dec 27, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> What year was that ??? I think that may have been my "Worst Jump" scenario in my first post.



late '85 or early '86


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> late '85 or early '86



If it was a JTCAPEX then I was probably there. I seem to remember one of  the jumpers going through the windshield of a Gama Goat/Medic vehicle. :confused:


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## x SF med (Dec 27, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> If it was a JTCAPEX then I was probably there. I seem to remember one of  the jumpers going through the windshield of a Gama Goat/Medic vehicle. :confused:



More than one...  Womack ER was a friggin nuthouse that night, it was a payday Div Jump...  remember those goatfucks?


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> More than one...  Womack ER was a friggin nuthouse that night, it was a payday Div Jump...  remember those goatfucks?



How can I forget ?..............................I'd rather have jumped full equipment, at night, in the rain, with hail, high winds, and no moon, than to be on another of those friggin jumps.


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## x SF med (Dec 27, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> How can I forget ?..............................I'd rather have jumped full equipment, at night, in the rain, with hail, high winds, and no moon, than to be on another of those friggin jumps.



ah, this was a quarterly...  Div, D-CE, HEq ...  the old "look we're REMF's and we can do the Infantry shit too, jumps...  I think they palletized their friggin desks, and some even had dust on their rucks...  It was a sad sad experience.


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## AWP (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> ah, this was a quarterly...  Div, D-CE, HEq ...  the old "look we're REMF's and we can do the Infantry shit too, jumps...  I think they palletized their friggin desks, and some even had dust on their rucks...  It was a sad sad experience.



So it was like an SF Support Company jumping?


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> ah, this was a quarterly...  Div, D-CE, HEq ...  the old "look we're REMF's and we can do the Infantry shit too, jumps...  I think they palletized their friggin desks, and some even had dust on their rucks...  It was a sad sad experience.



I forgot to bring that up. All the HQ guys, profiles attempting to get paid, etc. I remember having to wrap my room mates lowering line because he had forgotten how to it had been so long.  He was a profile geek that had been taken off and the 1st SGT told me to get him ready, he was jumping rather he liked it or not. I of course complied. :)


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## x SF med (Dec 27, 2007)

Freefalling said:


> So it was like an SF Support Company jumping?



Worse, even than that.  Truly and magnificantly utter stupidity to the nth degree.


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## MADMIKE175 (Dec 27, 2007)

1st jump in Batt - Suchon DZ, although not that bad - I did land on a pile of rocks and was paralyzed for what seemed like forever....probably only 15 seconds. Nothing would move, then I managed to wiggle a finger. Unfortunately that was the best part of that shitty 2 week deployment to good ole Kentucky. Luckily I wasn't injured, just temporarily jarred...I guess.

The worst jump for me was my last jump ever - I forget the name of the DZ, but it was in the ROK....even though we didn't have Boon with us, we had plenty of mo's puking soon after take off. Got to love 130's with a bunch of hungover idiots all trying to keep it down!!!!

Anyway our 1st Sergeant (Mr. Highspeed former SF support type) thought it would be cool for us to jump our weapons exposed. Which I honestly don't think enables one to deploy a weapon any quicker... It was one of those perfect jumps, C130 ramp blast - incredible scenery as we exited and though I was the last of 6 jumpers I beat half of them to the ground. I was dumping air in an attempt to avoid the river.....feet and knees together, lower the ruck, watching the horizon.....BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM OH FUCK.

The ground had recently frozen and I landed and tried much to my dismay to do a dynamic PLF...but unfortunately my feet had landed about 2 feet lower in the tire track of a 5 ton, that must have gotten stuck in the mud prior to the freeze. This led to me pushing the front site post of my exposed weapon into my upper thigh, luckily it stopped right at the muscle fascia, saving me from any serious damage. It did however create a 4 by 2 inch gouge stuffed with dirt, grass and the 2 chemlights that happened to be in my cargo pocket! LOL

So I landed with a load and thunderous FUCK YOU MOTHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRFUCKER, right next to the Col. who had come out to watch this 'tactical' day time jump.

After I uncurled myself from the fetal position and managed to hold down a serious desire to fucking puke, I slowly derigged and stood up. Started packing my shit up, when my RTO comes over and says, "Hey Sergeant - that was a horrific landing! HAHAHAHAH, by the way your BDU's are ripped."

I said thanks and continued to pack up, then I realized that I might be ripped as well...so I stuck my hand in the hole in my pants and came back with just a bit of blood across my knuckles...hmmmm

OK....so I pull my pants down to check out the damage....well holy shit. My RTO turned white and walked away. I decide to have a smoke. So I'm standing there butt ass naked in the middle of the DZ smoking a smoke and the Col. is like, "WTF". Before he get's back over to me to investigate why this E5 who just cursed like a MF'r is now standing naked and smoking a smoke in the middle of his tactical DZ, I decide to pull out the chemlights.....

He comes walking over and in a not too nice tone ask, "Sgt. WTF is going on here?"

So I say, "Hey Sir, sorry about the cussing...check this shit out...."

I turn around he takes one look at the skin, fat cells, and grass hanging from my thigh down to my knee and starts screaming for a medic! LMAO

Really was funny, the worst part was my senior leadership hadn't seen it and didn't realize that I was a bit eff'd up.....as they drove me all over kingdom come before finally getting back to Camp Casey - 5.5 hours later.

When they finally got me into a room and pulled my pants down the CO actually turned whiter than my RTO had and just about ran out of the room...the 1st Sgt. had the curtesy to take out his signal mirror so I could watch them stitch me up....

It was amazing how many hot nurses had to assist, I became a training aid that night so not all was lost.

All in all it was more funny than bad, and I have a cool scar to show for it!

Besides with everyone else out in the field it was easy to get the girl friend into the room and she helped nurse me back to health....I should post a pic of her just so everyone has a sense of her nursing capabilities...perhaps later - damn she was hot.


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## pardus (Dec 27, 2007)

There are some great stories in this thread!


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## 8'Duece (Dec 27, 2007)

MADMIKE175 said:


> 1st jump in Batt - Suchon DZ, .



I love ramp jumps. As they say "It's the big TV screen to the world" Kinda weird though holding the static line down next your thigh.:uhh:

Exposed weapon ? I never thought it was any quicker either to get to it load and take the prone before moving out. 

Great story!!!


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## car (Dec 27, 2007)

x SF med said:


> More than one...  Womack ER was a friggin nuthouse that night, it was a payday Div Jump...  remember those goatfucks?



Omigod!  I hated JMing those.  "No, joe. You route your leg thru the strap this way...":doh:


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## Charlie (Dec 27, 2007)

Mike when we went to KY I landed in a good ole patch of Poison IVY and the next day I was covered in oozing itchy spots....it sucked so bad...until the gave me a steroid shot. But yeah, that deployment sucked.


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## MADMIKE175 (Dec 28, 2007)

Charlie said:


> Mike when we went to KY I landed in a good ole patch of Poison IVY and the next day I was covered in oozing itchy spots....it sucked so bad...until the gave me a steroid shot. But yeah, that deployment sucked.




Yes, I must say it was a lovely introduction to life in Regiment....:eek:

I've never seen poison ivy patches like that before...I remember getting down in the prone, noticing all the green then realizing I was in the middle of a football size patch of that shit. Luckily I had my gloves on cause all I could think was, WOW this sucks bad enough without having that shit.


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## AWP (Dec 28, 2007)

Daytime, Hollywood from a UH-60 into Phillips DZ near Tampa, a exotic animal retirement home or whatever. Very hard packed soil and when dry is like concrete.

So I decide to make up my own PLF, relaxing my legs instead of keeping tension in them. The result is I hit feet, butt....and stopped there. I broke my L-5 and strained all of the muscles in the middle of my back. I laid there for a good minute before I wiggled my toes. I remember thinking "I can't move, I can't get up, WTF do I do?" So I screamed for the medic. I eventually got up (it took forever for the medic to get there), but I couldn't carry my own gear off the DZ. One of the lowest feelings of my life was to have another man carry my chute. 

I still have back problems to this day. The old "Walk it off" mentality and not report an injury will cost me in the long run.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 28, 2007)

Freefalling said:


> Daytime, Hollywood from a UH-60 into Phillips DZ near Tampa, a exotic animal retirement home or whatever. Very hard packed soil and when dry is like concrete.
> 
> So I decide to make up my own PLF, relaxing my legs instead of keeping tension in them. The result is I hit feet, butt....and stopped there. I broke my L-5 and strained all of the muscles in the middle of my back. I laid there for a good minute before I wiggled my toes. I remember thinking "I can't move, I can't get up, WTF do I do?" So I screamed for the medic. I eventually got up (it took forever for the medic to get there), but I couldn't carry my own gear off the DZ. One of the lowest feelings of my life was to have another man carry my chute.
> 
> I still have back problems to this day. The old "Walk it off" mentality and not report an injury will cost me in the long run.



Yeah, especially if you want VA medical. I had two separate surgerys at Womack for the shoulders. I got a 20% medical and still use the VA here in Cincinnati today. In fact I just back from picking up prescription meds.


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## DesertDocM33 (Dec 28, 2007)

Dec 2 1985, Death Jump we called it. Formation after chow!!! Top yells out, bullshit we said under our breath...looneytunes played on the loud speaker so after our tribute to the fallen and our Salute, ABN Schu says, "there is no way we have a jump". Looking over the water tower spanning in the horizon over the area of the museum was the blackest cloud with a thunder head attached that "I" have ever seen. So into the "chow hall". The feeling was, "there is no f@#$$in way we are going to Jump. So up the stairs with full stomachs and what do we see? A full manifest board!!! Prejump 1800, oh yaa let the bs begin!!! so mfn we went, I grabbed our gear and into the rectum of Divisional great ideas we went. Pre-jump was long, so long that when we were complete the rain was so bad, PLF's where being completed in about 6 in of water. 32DAYS AND A WAKE UP!! 22!!! Terminate WITH EXTREME PREDJUDICE!!!!....sounds of satisfaction and pride of the Airborne could be heard between the splashes....waiting for the cancel sign from LT, Top, CO anyone!!! but, it doestn't come. Then...a yell emrged from a frightening voice. It was "Top Shepard" a small man with a temper of SATAN's Mentor 3x Vietnam vet, that the more you resisted him the taller he became. An immortal and a Camal Non filter 4 pack a day smoker that would run circles around most successful triathletes.....CLEAN UP!!! dry fatigues, dry boots, FORMATION 2130!!! Ok......not the answer I wanted to hear!!! I guess the Airforce wants to fly around with PO'd Troopers on board in the worst storm of the year.....Temp 30 degrees windchill 10 wind speed approx 15-25 knots and climbing.....we are not going to jump?.....To be continued.


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## 275ANGER! (Dec 28, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> "Shitty landings"........................you mean like "Feet, ass, head"  ;)



Yeah, the landings that make you swear out-loud *$#@!%* and lay on the ground feeling sorry for yourself while taking a moment to regain some composure.  Never had a "soft landing", fuckers would be saying "that is the softest landing I had", O fuck off!.

Didn't everybody say to themselves just as they were going to land "O F**K! O F**K! OOO F********K!"? then again it could just be me because I hated landing. PLFs are such a crock of shit, no matter how you land you land like a sack of shit. (Ha that rhymes, my new sig)


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## lancero (Dec 29, 2007)

I was never injured in a jump, but I did burn in a Barrett once.  Luckly, it didn't belong to the Regiment.  We were testing them for the Army in Maryland and were jumping from Ch-47s.  it was pretty embarrassing for me, but more so for the E-7 SF guy that JMPI'd me.   In the end, it did prove valuable for testing purposes.  That particular Barrett model didn't withstand the fall.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 29, 2007)

lancero said:


> I was never injured in a jump, but I did burn in a Barrett once.  Luckly, it didn't belong to the Regiment.  We were testing them for the Army in Maryland and were jumping from Ch-47s.  it was pretty embarrassing for me, but more so for the E-7 SF guy that JMPI'd me.   In the end, it did prove valuable for testing purposes.  That particular Barrett model didn't withstand the fall.



What altitude ????.........................somehow I doubt any weapon system would survive such a fall. 

We lost two two 102's in our battery and both of the bore's where bent from about 2500 AGL.


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## lancero (Dec 29, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> What altitude ????.........................somehow I doubt any weapon system would survive such a fall.
> 
> We lost two two 102's in our battery and both of the bore's where bent from about 2500 AGL.



I was a couple hundred feet AGL.  I didn't expect the rifle to survive, I was being sarcastic.  Sorry.


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## Hitman2/3 (Dec 31, 2007)

My worst jump involved jumping max weight for the guys out at Yuma proving ground so that they could test the drop rate on a new chute material they were fielding. Let's just say I was so heavy that I needed help to get on to the bird, help to stand up and pretty much just fell out. Upon falling out I was isolating so bad that I thought I was going to break every bone in my body. In the end I only ended up with a couple of bumps and bruises.


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## 8'Duece (Dec 31, 2007)

Hitman2/3 said:


> My worst jump involved jumping max weight for the guys out at Yuma proving ground so that they could test the drop rate on a new chute material they were fielding. Let's just say I was so heavy that I needed help to get on to the bird, help to stand up and pretty much just fell out. Upon falling out I was isolating so bad that I thought I was going to break every bone in my body. In the end I only ended up with a couple of bumps and bruises.



Your talking MFF right ??.............................what's up with the SEC's anyway ???? (Stabilized Equipment Containers) 

Do you even use them ? Do they work as intended ? and what's with having them attached to the lead jumpers chest ??? :uhh:

Just curious.


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## x SF med (Dec 31, 2007)

lancero said:


> I was a couple hundred feet AGL.  I didn't expect the rifle to survive, I was being sarcastic.  Sorry.



Have you ever posted an Intro?  I couldn't find one....


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## Hitman2/3 (Dec 31, 2007)

82ndtrooper said:


> Your talking MFF right ??.............................what's up with the SEC's anyway ???? (Stabilized Equipment Containers)
> 
> Do you even use them ? Do they work as intended ? and what's with having them attached to the lead jumpers chest ??? :uhh:
> 
> Just curious.



No this one was static round chutes, I can't remember what the designation was on them but it was basically just a thicker material they were testing out. 

I've never jumped with the SEC's but from what I've heard they work pretty well. They put them on the lead jumper to expidite the jump, and to avoid slaping any other jumpers upon your initial exit. If you attached it to the last jumper, depending on what your jumping out of and how many jumpers he's going to have a little trouble pushing that bitch to and out the door fast enough to keep up with his team.   :doh:


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## rangerpsych (Dec 31, 2007)

Boondocksaint375 said:


> There was another time we did an exercise at Ft...(can't remember the name..rangerpsych help me out! lol) where we ended up landing on a busy interstate.  It wasn't a bad jump though since I didn't get injured! lol



Fort Pickett, Virginia.

My platoon was ADVON for that Bn deployment, and as such was DZSO and associated buffonery.

I was DZSO RTO. There was a communications breakdown between the aircraft and us on the ground. We could talk to the lead bird, but could not talk to the other aircraft. So, lead bird says no biggie we can talk to you so you talk to us we'll talk to the air force... lol

well, it wasn't LOL for long. Drop 1 goes off fine.. 2nd bird comes around... CARP jump mind you... well when we call lead bird saying they're good to drop they hit the fucking green light button and started dumping people out the door... 


over the closed ASP

over the active freeway

over the 75' trees in the treeline

over everything but fucking dropzone...

Needless to say when we saw the first canopy open over 1.5 miles from the DZ we shut them down and conducted an airland. 

Being an EMT and not being required as an RTO at that point, I was tasked with our Plt medic to go start checking out folks and triage as necessary... ended up grabbing the Bn surg and some other doc's who were on the first chalk on the way there...

There was one severe injury on that jump, individual landed in trees and was hung up.. over 30' up in the air.. He did a hangup check by bouncing and promptly fell to the ground.. broken back at that point, noticible stepoff and deviation... So... we load em up in the back of the van.

I talk to the Ft Pickett Emergency coordinator since I just got tasked with the Plt medic to take this cat to the hospital. I told him that I need to move out with a casualty and if I can get it I would like to have a trooper escort or something since I have no emergency lights and we're an hour away from the hospital...

"Ya sure no prob *calls on radio to trooper dispatch, gets reply of X highway and Y highway linkup* there you go not an issue"

Ok, cool... so I'm doing 10 over the speed limit in a white military van with a guy strapped to a backboard and affixed to the floor of the van. I have the lights in the back on so the medic can keep checking on him, and we're both in BDU's and both cammied up...

I blow past a vehicle..... right side of the road.. facing me....  HRM think it's a cop, aint at the linkup point yet.

Hey doc, that IV you have been wanting to do, you're gonna get a chance... "why" because we got a trooper on our tail.. I saw tail lights headlights blue lights... pull over.... lardo the trooper comes wandering up... meanwhile doc's in the back playing human pincushion and the trooper comes up to me and I already have license and ID.. "Sir I'm Spc X, I'm coming from Ft. Pickett where we just conducted an airborne operation and this is a casualty in the back that needs to get to BLA hospital. I've been informed by the Ft. Pickett Emergency coordinator that I'm supposed to be met by a trooper escort at x/y highways"

uhh, aint heard nothin like that... but i don't think ya'll are lyin... take'er easy and i'll let em know up ahead boutcha...

Great, cool, thanks *grab id's and hit throttle skidding gravel*

Get to the hospital.. no ticket no issues, casualty being taken care of.. and doc's gotta open his fuckin mouth when the surgeon shows up at the hospital bout getting pulled over... Doc K looks over at me with a stare and I just shrugged "Sir, I was informed I was good, I drove the same speed an ambulance would have, and I was SUPPOSED to have been met by troopers.. I'd recommend speaking with the Pickett Emergency coordinator who failed to do his job :) "


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## Caspersen (Jan 1, 2008)

Some interesting stories/replies here.  I have 18 jumps on my log, but I believe my actual count was 22 as of ETSing.  Never once had a "bad jump."  A few feet-ass-heads and a painful landing at Mackall but nothing I would chalk up as bad.  I walked away from them all, albeit a few times like I was a member of G-Unit but nothing to warrant even a sick call visit.  Luck I suppose.


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## x SF med (Jan 1, 2008)

186 jumps - no major injuries - a few ugly plfs (pfls?)


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## lancero (Jan 1, 2008)

x SF med said:


> Have you ever posted an Intro?  I couldn't find one....



Yeah, I posted one, but it has been awhile.  Do I need to do another one?


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## Polar Bear (Jan 1, 2008)

Please post another one 

Thanks


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## lancero (Jan 1, 2008)

Polar Bear said:


> Please post another one
> 
> Thanks



No problem.


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## Centermass (Jan 1, 2008)

Racked up 202 during my career. 

Only 2 mishaps

-Tree landing in FL resulting in being impaled with an oak spear right thigh (just missed my femoral artery according to the AF surgeon)

-JRTC 96 landed cockeyed on the side of the airfield. Screwed my acl and dealt with it for several months until the pain got unbearable before an MRI dictated surgery

Worst experience was not as a jumper, but as an observer in 82 at Ft. Irwin during Gallant Eagle. My CO and XO were both the DZSO and ADZSO for the jump. I was co located with my CO assisting him. 

If my memory serves me correct, 6 died and more injured (primarily winds on the DZ)  One was a towed jumper. 

As a result, both the CO and XO were cleared of any wrong doing after a congressional was conducted and closed. They did everything by the book. As a result, the book (ASOP) changed

Those changes were implemented as a result and I'm sure are still in effect: 

-It was the last operation that a parachustists helmet (steel pot) was used and the kevlar helmet was accelerated for issue and wear

-The ASOP was changed so the DZSO and the ADZSO would locate differently-one would remain co located with CCT at or near the code letter and the other at the highest point vicinity of the DZ

-A wind parameter established as a block time where readings to include gusts prior to drop time could not exceed the specified limits resulting in a no go and racetracks became the order of the day until planes went bingo on fuel or the abn cdr called it.    

-The dial a death harness was canned because of the canopy release assemblies and the difficulty activating them. The bravo harness became standard for T-10's as well as dash 1's with cable loop type canopy release system which was more user friendly and a hell of a lot easier to activate-even with one hand. If you've never experienced the dial a death, be glad.    

-Finally, the only device allowed for wind readings from then on was the ANPQ-3A anemometer. Geez, I can't believe I still remember some of this stuff.


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## car (Jan 1, 2008)

x SF med said:


> 186 jumps - no major injuries - a few ugly plfs (pfls?)



Ugly is right..... 

I'm baaack ...  Happy New Year!


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## 8'Duece (Jan 2, 2008)

Ever been underneath a heavy drop at night ????:doh:

Early in my stay with the 82nd I was volunteered for DZ duty. I think we where holding off the tree line of Holland DZ and finally got the word that the birds where about 10 mintues out. I was with the DZSO and he said "let's get out of the woodline a bit and observe this heavy drop"....................:uhh:

If you ever seen the birds come in at night, it's kinda cool to see the lights shining down on the DZ and they actually go from right to left/scanning the DZ. We're standing their watching as heavy equipment starts sliding out of the tail of the birds. Some how we got to walking towards where he thought the first gun was going to land and then suddenly I look up...................DAMN, WHAT'S THAT BIG SQUARE OF A DARK CLOUD THAT IS GETTING BIGGER ???????:eek:

I remember running like a scared cat for the tree line. It was pretty damn spooky.


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## Ragnar Nads (Jan 2, 2008)

My worse jump I messed up and undid the legstraps so to go to the pisser.  I put them back on right but got something caught between the legstrap and my leg aand it hurt like hell.  It turned out big and black and blue and purple and thats why they call me Nads.


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## Boondocksaint375 (Jan 2, 2008)

Ragnar Nads said:


> My worse jump I messed up and undid the legstraps so to go to the pisser.  I put them back on right but got something caught between the legstrap and my leg aand it hurt like hell.  It turned out big and black and blue and purple and thats why they call me Nads.



It really is hard to top that lol


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## x SF med (Jan 2, 2008)

Ragnar Nads said:


> My worse jump I messed up and undid the legstraps so to go to the pisser.  I put them back on right but got something caught between the legstrap and my leg aand it hurt like hell.  It turned out big and black and blue and purple and thats why they call me Nads.



Bet you never forgot to "Check Equipment!" after that... OUCH.


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## Lycurgus (Jan 2, 2008)

Worst jump (so far)...out of the back of the C130 static line.  Everything is good till I look up and check my chute.  It's always been good so I did a lazy, nonchalant check and had to do a double take.  My chute was less than 1/2 inflated....so I started shaking the shit out of my risers.  Took me a few seconds, but it fully inflated....scaried the crap out of me though.  I was falling FAST.


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## demo18c (Jan 4, 2008)

I was doing an AJ so i was the second to last out. As i neared the door i tripped over something and had a terrible exit. Twist pretty much all the way up. So i started to pull the risers apart and bicycle kick. As i was spinning i can see that i was falling faster than the guys i put out the door. It was at night so i couldnt really see the the ground. As soon as the last twist came out i hit the tarmac.Guess i was knocked out for awhile but when i came to i was still bicycle kicking and the Meds were all around me....lol...sucked back still hurts....Last one out 1rst one to hit the ground...


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## 8'Duece (Jan 4, 2008)

demo18c said:


> I was doing an AJ so i was the second to last out. As i neared the door i tripped over something and had a terrible exit. Twist pretty much all the way up. So i started to pull the risers apart and bicycle kick. As i was spinning i can see that i was falling faster than the guys i put out the door. It was at night so i couldnt really see the the ground. As soon as the last twist came out i hit the tarmac.Guess i was knocked out for awhile but when i came to i was still bicycle kicking and the Meds were all around me....lol...sucked back still hurts....Last one out 1rst one to hit the ground...



Gotta love bicycling your way out of a bad exit.:doh:

While other jumpers are preparing to turn into the wind and land your still trying to get the damp risers to come unraveled. That sucks ass. :bleh:


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## car (Jan 4, 2008)

Worst jump I never jumped.

One of our companies was jumping into AP Hill and was gonna stay there for a week in the field, so the safeties were from other companies.  We were pushing ammo bundles (which we _never_ did in an MI Bn) and I was the only one on the JM team who had ever pushed a bundle at all! :eek: So the primary in the lead acft wanted me on his door. No prob he was a fellow 1SG. Well, I don't know how many times I told the #1 jumper (who would help me push the bundle), "You'll push high, I'll go low. But you wait on me to start it moving. Otherwise, you'll push down and the paperboard honneycomb will crush. Then we're fucked." "No problem, Top!"

So, as soon as the PJ said, "Go!" #1 gets excited and pushes hard. PBHC crushes and the bundle snags.  I'm on my knees pushing on this thing like I'm NFL tackle, screaming, "Goddammit, Andy! Stop pushing!"

I felt it move so I got on my toes and started really pushing -- not thinking about how close I was to an open door. The bundle went out, and I almost did, too. I landed on the deck with the upper half my body outside the door, and I was moving further out.

The PJ saw it happening and got hold of my belt and pulled me back in. We kinda stared, wide-eyed at each other. Then I said, "Give me back your static line and tell your #1 jumper to go!"

If we had been jumping anything but a C-17, I'd have been sucked out the door. :uhh:


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