The Airborne Times
Rescuing The Wounded
On March 16th, 1966, as a medic assigned to the Recon Platoon HQ CO, 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Specialist Alfred V. Rascon was maneuvering...
Rescuing The Wounded
On March 16th, 1966, as a medic assigned to the Recon Platoon HQ CO, 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Specialist Alfred V. Rascon was maneuvering to help reinforce their sister battalion who was under pretty intense enemy fire, the Recon element also became a target....
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The First Jump
Forward: The American Paratrooper:What does it mean to be a Paratrooper? Suffice it to say it goes beyond just earning the coveted Silver Wings. It is indeed a way of...
The First Jump
Forward: The American Paratrooper:What does it mean to be a Paratrooper? Suffice it to say it goes beyond just earning the coveted Silver Wings. It is indeed a way of life. A mindset and a calling that has a proud history and storied tradition. A means of deterrence to those...
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What I Learned Being A Paratrooper
Being a Paratrooper was an experience unlike any other. The chaos of a drop zone at night is hard to explain to someone else and yet it seems normal to...
What I Learned Being A Paratrooper
Being a Paratrooper was an experience unlike any other. The chaos of a drop zone at night is hard to explain to someone else and yet it seems normal to someone from the 82nd. I remember telling a friend from a heavy division that we dropped HMMWVs from planes. He...
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First In France
“Let’s convince the Krauts of the error of their ways”. June 5th, 1944… the eve of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in human history. Captain Frank Lillyman, commander of the...
First In France
“Let’s convince the Krauts of the error of their ways”. June 5th, 1944… the eve of D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in human history. Captain Frank Lillyman, commander of the 101st Airborne Division’s pathfinders, prepared his team for their harrowing assignment, to land on French soil before the main invasion,...
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Testing A Russian
MAJ Mark Stoddard, then a captain, and the ABNSOTD testing the Russian LET-410 Aircraft for suitability for airborne operations in 2000. The ABNSOTD, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, are...
Testing A Russian
MAJ Mark Stoddard, then a captain, and the ABNSOTD testing the Russian LET-410 Aircraft for suitability for airborne operations in 2000. The ABNSOTD, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, are the Army’s independent operational testers for anything airborne or airdrop. The team successfully jumped the aircraft multiple times, noting that...
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The Battle Of Yongju
October 21st, 1950 Korea - Spearheading the UN Forces' drive north, the 187th Airborne RCT conducted a combat jump north of Pyongyang in an attempt to cut off North Korean forces...
The Battle Of Yongju
October 21st, 1950 Korea - Spearheading the UN Forces' drive north, the 187th Airborne RCT conducted a combat jump north of Pyongyang in an attempt to cut off North Korean forces retreating from the capital. Although the airborne drop itself was a success, the operation came too late to intercept any significant KPA...
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5 Things To Know About LTG James "Jumpin Jim" G...
The airborne community comes from a long line of historic leaders and icons. We want to honor their memory while also giving ourselves a set of standards to live up...
5 Things To Know About LTG James "Jumpin Jim" Gavin
The airborne community comes from a long line of historic leaders and icons. We want to honor their memory while also giving ourselves a set of standards to live up to. The first man we want to talk about is LT GEN James “Jumpin Jim” Gavin. James Maurice Gavin (March...
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Own your jump
But there can come a time in your career as a soldier where you start thinking about leaving. Maybe the deployments, field exercises, and weekend staff duties are just testing...
Own your jump
But there can come a time in your career as a soldier where you start thinking about leaving. Maybe the deployments, field exercises, and weekend staff duties are just testing your family too much. You could personally be feeling the stress of the military grind and feel that for your...
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The Angels Of Mercy
On 6 June 1944 the 2nd Battalion, 501st PIR was headed to on Drop Zone “D,” the southernmost Drop Zone assigned to the 101st. The Drop Zone was located just...
The Angels Of Mercy
On 6 June 1944 the 2nd Battalion, 501st PIR was headed to on Drop Zone “D,” the southernmost Drop Zone assigned to the 101st. The Drop Zone was located just outside of the small village of Angoville Au Plain. It was here that two Geronimo Medics would become known as...
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The Atrocity at Graignes
Fate brought these villagers and Paratroopers together, and the shared traumatic events of the battle of Graignes forever forged a bond between the two parties that were previously strangers to...
The Atrocity at Graignes
Fate brought these villagers and Paratroopers together, and the shared traumatic events of the battle of Graignes forever forged a bond between the two parties that were previously strangers to one another. In all 32 paratroopers and 44 civilians lost their lives here, and it is this memorial and those...
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Henry Pennock
“Bastogne, it was unbelieveable. It was mayhem, with trees coming down. Everything under the sun was hitting you,” Pennock says. “It was a miracle that you could survive under so...
Henry Pennock
“Bastogne, it was unbelieveable. It was mayhem, with trees coming down. Everything under the sun was hitting you,” Pennock says. “It was a miracle that you could survive under so much firepower.” Pennock himself felt incredibly lucky to have survived having fought off frost-bitten limbs and several shrapnel wounds.
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Full Time Soldier, Full Time Student
Like many Soldiers and Service members, I went to college after high school and failed miserably. I went because it was expected of me and I didn’t know what else...
Full Time Soldier, Full Time Student
Like many Soldiers and Service members, I went to college after high school and failed miserably. I went because it was expected of me and I didn’t know what else I should be doing with my life. I didn’t know anything except for that I wanted to have a good...
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The Final Jump
We prep for hours for that first jump. Why is it then that one of the most important things we do in the Military, the ONLY thing everyone will do,...
The Final Jump
We prep for hours for that first jump. Why is it then that one of the most important things we do in the Military, the ONLY thing everyone will do, gets so overlooked? After every word is said, and every deed is done, the day will finally come that we...
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Normandy Through Their Eyes: Jumping into Darkness
June 6th, 1944, saw the greatest amphibious invasion in human history, and the beginning of the offensive that would eradicate Nazism in Western Europe. However, the first troops in France...
Normandy Through Their Eyes: Jumping into Darkness
June 6th, 1944, saw the greatest amphibious invasion in human history, and the beginning of the offensive that would eradicate Nazism in Western Europe. However, the first troops in France didn’t land on the beaches but rather parachuted into France on the night of June 5th. The first men to...
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The History of the "Filthy Thirteen"
The Filthy Thirteen was the name given to the 1st Demolition Section of the Regimental Headquarters Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, of the United States...
The History of the "Filthy Thirteen"
The Filthy Thirteen was the name given to the 1st Demolition Section of the Regimental Headquarters Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, of the United States Army, which fought in the European campaign in World War II. This unit was the inspiration for the book and...
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To the mothers who grieve while others are cele...
In late summer of 2012 when Charlie Company, 1-504th, came home from Muqor, Afghanistan, I met Christian Sannicolas’ mom, Deanna Howard, who had flown in from Anaheim to welcome her...
To the mothers who grieve while others are celebrating this Mother’s Day, know that when your sons and daughters made the ultimate sacrifice, we understand that you did too. They are not forgotten, and neither are you.
In late summer of 2012 when Charlie Company, 1-504th, came home from Muqor, Afghanistan, I met Christian Sannicolas’ mom, Deanna Howard, who had flown in from Anaheim to welcome her son’s platoon mates home. I hugged her, and she cried. Many people strive their entire lives for an accomplishment as...
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Civilians often obsess over why soldiers serve,...
In garrison, soldiers spend the majority of their time training for war. After one “mass-tactical” night jump onto Fort Bragg’s Sicily Drop Zone that began a two-week field exercise, I...
Civilians often obsess over why soldiers serve, but in combat, all the many reasons are meaningless. What matters is shooting, moving, and communicating, and that’s it.
In garrison, soldiers spend the majority of their time training for war. After one “mass-tactical” night jump onto Fort Bragg’s Sicily Drop Zone that began a two-week field exercise, I linked up with the Huffington Post’s senior military reporter, David Wood, to escort him around the battlespace. A massive summertime...
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Soldiers who have tasted the brine of combat un...
On the eve of the seventh-year anniversary of the deaths of paratroopers PFC Michael Metcalf and 1LT Jonathan Walsh, whose demise by IED I detailed in my book The Brave...
Soldiers who have tasted the brine of combat understand this, which is why they get so angry when someone disrespects the flag. This country is the value, what we value is the value, and often, that’s as specific as one can get.
On the eve of the seventh-year anniversary of the deaths of paratroopers PFC Michael Metcalf and 1LT Jonathan Walsh, whose demise by IED I detailed in my book The Brave Ones: A Memoir of Hope, Pride, and Military Service, a reader sent an email disagreeing with my analysis. In...
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