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  #21  
Old 04-24-2002, 08:54 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Default Paratroopers

you know what they say--the only things that fall out of the sky is birdshit and paratroopers.
And the only thing that stays on the ground is chickenshit

James

Happy just to be alive after 47 jumps, 3 in VN
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  #22  
Old 04-24-2002, 09:49 AM
tlbreau tlbreau is offline
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Default Night jump

Poco,
The night jump was in full gear and the start of a one week campout courtesy of Uncle Sam, at Ft. Bragg. Boy, I love to camp out.
Got to smoke a goat with two other guys overnight and we were so hungry (you stay hungry in field training) we ate half the goat before sun up. The guys that were to share in the spoils were the ones that went hungry that day. When they complained to the NCOs...sorry, you didn't volunteer. Snakes were not safe and were food as anything we happened upon. Raided a farmer's watermelon patch for breakfast one morning. Don't drink the water until the tablet has been in it for at least five minutes, my mistake on the last day of the exercise. Well, it looked clean and I needed a drink bad.
All in all it was a great campout.
47 jumps James! Gutsy, you have what it takes.
My hat's off to all you guys and gals. You're a great family to me.
Tom B
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  #23  
Old 04-24-2002, 10:26 AM
tlbreau tlbreau is offline
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Default Airborne unit

frisco-kid,
I don't know why I was not sent to and Airborne Unit. I would have enjoyed the extra bucks. I did miss the extra pay in 15th Med.
For one thing they said they didn't care if I was Airborne I wasn't being paid jump pay and I was grounded so get over. Didn't know I hurt someones feeling and they didn't want me to jump any more.
I did get over it.
Airborne all the way!!!
Tom B
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  #24  
Old 04-25-2002, 08:34 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Default Smoke a goat?

Um, TL? You say you got to smoke a goat? That must have been hard to light and one hell of a bong!
(ROTFLMAO)
We got people here in CA who lick toads to get high!! I'm not making this up

5 jumps in jump school
14 in Panama
3 in Vietnam
23 in Bragg ( Iwas with the Airborne testing outfit--the USAAESWBD-Abn Sec, no sht)
I have to say I kind of liked it--these were all static line jumps. The three in VN were all practice jumps on dropzones

2 in vacaville CA, 1993, freefall
I then retired undefeated--I hope they retired my Jump School #--911

James
Happy just to be alive
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Old 04-25-2002, 09:11 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Default Jes' Bragging 'Bout Bragg

I'll bet Steve (82 rigger) will whip me right away with this but I bet Ive jumped outta mor different kinds of military planes than most--heres the list
C47,C119, C123,C130, C141,Caribou, Mohawk, Huey
Anybody else?

James
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  #26  
Old 04-25-2002, 11:35 AM
tlbreau tlbreau is offline
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Default Awesome track record

James,
So what do you do for excitement? Do you miss the high?
Licking toads and smoking goats, don't think the fad took. But for real, licking toads?
Never saw a Mae West, But did land on someone's chute as he was coming down. Made a scramble to get off.
Take care brother. will be out of pocket for a few days, but know it is in good hands.
You're a greaaaat family; you all have a hug from me. Love you all.
Tom B
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  #27  
Old 04-25-2002, 06:57 PM
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Smile Re: Jes' Bragging 'Bout Bragg

James,

I ain't gotcha beat as bad as you think. Only two that I've jumped that I didn't see on your list...CH-47 Chinook and some kinda little bitty airplane...don't remember the nomenclature but it was called a "Bird dog" I think.

When I was an instructor in the rigger school I made me up a special helmet. I took a regular steel pot (Abn configuration) and sanded it all down smooth. Then painted it glossy black. Had an 82nd patch decal on one side and a Mr. Natural decal on the other side. Keep on truckin'! LOL!
In the empty areas of the helmet I had lettered all the aircraft that I had jumped. Whenever I jumped something new, I added it to the helmet.

Jumpin' the gooney bird was cool, except for the weird stand up - hook up - jump sequence.

If you ever get a chance to jump a WW2 T-7A 'chute.....don't!

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger
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  #28  
Old 04-25-2002, 07:24 PM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Default Re: Awesome track record

Quote:
Originally posted by tlbreau
James,
So what do you do for excitement? Do you miss the high?
Tom B
nowadays I get all the excitement I need just driving thru berkeley, Zydeco dancing or getting creative with the tax people--Hot sweaty bodies swaying in unison to a pounding jungle beat is more my speed--can be very stimulating the ol lrrpster has to walk scrooch legged sometimes to hide the more obvious signs.
it wasn't the only exciting thing Ive done, no, not by a long shot, I been to 6 county fairs and a Shaker picnic, altho skulking down the HCM trail, guts gurgling in terror while trying to look over both shoulders simultaneously would probably be the most. I havent heard too many toppers to that, but some. It set a high standard, I was quite the adreneline addict for some time. Examples: i was a professional diver, fisherman, high iron welder. I skiied and motorcycled untill I got bad knees and carpal tunnel--I lived high and wide an lawlessfor a long time, ripped the tags of pillows when it said do not remove, crossed against the light, topped off the tank in complete violation of federal law, oh I was wild.
i had to quit drinking and getting high for the good of society, nowadays, its just sex when I can manage it.
No kidding about th toad, they wire him to a battery to make him sweat, then either wipe him down or Toadsicle, Ho! Its sposed to be a powerful hallucinogen, they had a case about this couple years ago,some college professorsI think they busted em for terminal stupidity or maybe felony amphibian molestation

yeah, it was a pretty wide spread of planes for a 3 year enlistment--the gooney was SCARY!!, I mean you crouch going out the door, the tailwing looks like its right by yr left ear--that was the most effort I put into jumping clear of the plane, as opposed to say, the C141, which was just stepping out the door like yr porch. I think we in Panama were the last regular troops to use C47s regularly, a great plane, most of em are still flying, rode one to the Bahamas, couple years ago.. We also jumped 130s there, including 2 night jumps. I only jumped the 119 in jump school. I flew in Birddogs in Vn, theyd send me out to do visual recon before patrol with the Army FAC pilots who flew em--THEY was a bunch of loons, no error, thought they were in P51s
Almost drowned in a paddy in Gatun, Panama. I was jumping the MG in a PAE bag, dangling 10 feet below me, there was pretty high wind and we were going sideways. The bag hit in the water and pulled me down like an anchor, almost drowned lying on my back in 2 feet of water, pulled the frigging waterwings cord and it was hooked under the webgear, expanded and felt like it seperated couple of ribs, knocked the wind out of me which didn't help the drowning sequence any.if some friends hadnta fished me out, the lrrpster may not be in our midst now
saw a guy double streamer in on this jump (we were jumping from 800ft) he was screaming all the way down--HE LIVED but it took em a while to dig him out, they made a tent hospital right over him, he was so broke up, before they could move him.
Another guy on another jump lost his thumb in the static line.
I never had a malfunction in 47 jumps, some of which chutes I packed (under supervision)


James
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  #29  
Old 04-25-2002, 09:08 PM
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Cool STAND UP, HOOK UP,...........

5 jumps-Jump School
2 jumps-Viet Nam
16 jumps-Ft. Bragg

Like James, the 2 Nam jumps were practice jumps on DZs. One of them was a joint drop with the ARVNs.
At Bragg I would sometimes make some money on the side by jumping for other guys that didn't want to make a jump for whatever reason. Did 4 of these, included in the 16.

Jumped: C47, C119, C130, C141
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  #30  
Old 04-26-2002, 09:18 AM
exlrrp exlrrp is offline
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Default GEEEZ That was thrilling

Remember that guys? it got to be routine and fun after about a dozen but those first ones were a real exercise for me in self control--the ration of sht they passed out by the spadefuls to those who quit convinced ME--I'da gone out the door without a reserve! I It definitely looked better than quitting
Man ,I'm siting here now and its like a wave of memories--drawing the chutes with the guys, checking em over, CHUTING UP!!! (geez, we were PARATROOPERS!!) filing into the warm pigsbelly of the plane, sitting there in the nylon jumpseats, smoking, maybe someone thoughtfully included a 1/2 pint of sommat warm. The plane takes off, roaring, the bottom drops out of your seat and stomach, that ol crates upping and downing all the time. The longest we were in the plane ever was about 2 hours but they were just fcking with us, dropping the dummy and all. you can see the white faces of the newbies while the ol timers be wise cracking and talking about gross things to fck with the cherries.
the red Light goes on--STAND UP! you stand up and HOOK UP!, check equipment!!Sound off equipment check everybody's whooping with excitement, yanking on the cables,STAND IN THE DOOR!! they stand the first man in the door and someone sings out "[horrible oath!] and He aint got a hair on His ass if He don't kill us ALLL!" Everybody hollers AAAAAIRBOOOORNE!!!! and GREEN LIGHT!! BOOMclickBOOMclickBOOMclickturnright bothhandsonthedoorjamband........JUMP!!
Silence, floating, you can hear/feel the static line--oh yeah count!! One Thousand , two thousan, three thousand, BOOM!!!! a jolt and yr swinging in the breez, looking up at that beautiful pie plate. Or unfortunately yr stilll hurtling to your doom in which case you better finish that count quick and do a little something reserve wise I mean pronto in less time then it takes to readthistoolateSPLAT!! You can cut a deal with gravity for just so long
the sky is filled with whooping hollering paratroopers.
the ground rushing to meet you, Don't tense up!!, stay loose, a quick PLF, maybe even a standing landing--they happened "accidentally" sometimes.
What a rush, what a rush!! definitly top 5 category for the lrrpster

What else to compare??(Ex:Rappelling from slicks at 120'-that came later, still not the same) You can always tell a paratrooper by the swagger--but you sure can't tell him much
An airborne salute to everyone who stood in the door--and jumped.

james

Happy just to be alive
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