U,S. Army Rangers parachute from a USAF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft during a mass tactical airborne operation at Fryar Drop Zone, Fort Benning Georgia. Rangers are specialists at insertion by parachute. Ranger battalions have carried out combat drops in Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq.
photo by Staff Sgt. Jason B. Baker, USASOC PAO
It must be all of the memories conjured up from writing my book because lately, I've been flashing back to my first year as an Army wife. We lived in Savannah while Max was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield with 1/75 (1st Ranger Battalion). Since military life was so new to me then, quite a few of my experiences were actually pretty funny -- like the time Max wanted me to watch one of his jumps (this meant they were parachuting out of planes for training). I had seen him fast rope from a plane before but never parachute.
Of course, the jump would take place way past my bedtime. I got used to his intense training schedule especially because I never had to be a part of it...until I agreed to watch his jump, that is. It was on a weekday - I think it was a Thursday, so I had to teach the next day. My plan was to drive to the airfield (thankfully a close drive from my house), watch him parachute and drive home...in my pajamas, of course.
I drove Max's big silver Dodge Ram around Savannah and handled it quite well, if I may say so myself. He must have gotten a ride from one of his colleagues that night because I, at 11:00 in the evening, drove that truck to the post. No clue where I was actually supposed to park (even though Max was convinced he gave me perfect directions), I asked the front gate guard where the road to the airfield was so I could park to watch the parachuters. He pointed me in the right direction and soon enough, down a pitch-black road I was driving, when all of a sudden, I saw several other trucks (many military people seem to own trucks) parked with their headlights on.
I figured this was where I needed to be. While driving the truck seemed to go smoothly, parking it was always a challenge. Not to mention, all of these guys were sitting in the back of their trucks...I didn't want to be the "girl who can't drive the truck." Luckily, having learned to drive in a city, I can park pretty well. I was thrilled that my parking skills didn't fail me that night.
Quite proud of myself, I turned off my engine. But it was freezing so I had to turn it back on for the heat! Max told me that two companies were jumping that night which meant that the other people watching (who were all men) were Rangers who either already jumped or were going to another day. I kept alternating my eyes from the clock to the sky, waiting for the planes.
Sure enough, right on schedule, the first plane flew overhead. Within seconds, I could see the parachutes open up into the night sky. It was too dark to see bodies but it was amazing to see all of the parachutes (one after the other, plane after plane) fall to the ground. I counted the third plane's fourth jumper and really convinced myself that I saw Max. Content that I followed through and excited to have seen these much talked about jumps, I made a u-turn and headed off post and home to bed.
I woke up when Max came home later that night. "I saw you jump. It was fantastic," I complimented. "Well, you actually saw Bravo and Charlie companies. It turns out we're scheduled for another night. You can come again to watch Alpha Company now that you know where to go. Except our jump is scheduled for a little later at night."
Hmmm, he must have forgotten to give me that memo since I was planning to watch that night.
I fell back asleep smiling and thinking to myself - well, if you've seen one jump, you've seen 'em all.
I did, of course, eventually get to see the real Max jump.
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