Out of the Office and Into the Air

Spc Felicia Whatley

Out of the Office

British and U.S. troops jumped out of the office and into the warm summer air. Operation Black Warrior commenced June 27 as 125 reserve Soldiers parachuted from Chinooks at Coyle Field Airport in New Jersey as an annual training exercise.

“It is the most exciting thing I can think of with the adrenaline pumping. It is truly an indescribable feeling,” said Spc. Kenneth A. Golden, a rigger from Cochran, Ga.

 When he tells his family and sheet metal fabricator coworkers about the different places he’s gone and the people he’s met while jumping, they don’t believe him until they see the photos, he said.

The weather was important in deciding whether or not to jump. A single Soldier with a yellow chute dispersed from the Chinook and slowly drifted from 1,500 feet toward the ground. This was to check the wind. If the wind was above a 13 knots or rainy, the jump would be called off.

After the Soldier with the yellow chute landed and the pair of Chinooks finished their flyby, they came around for the first of many drops. The sky soon filled with green chutes as airborne allies floated freely. Every 90 days these Soldiers are required to complete a jump to keep their airborne status.

Soldiers gave various reasons for wanting to throw themselves out of a moving helicopter or airplane. For many, the adrenaline thrill of jumping is a break in the office routine. For some, it is the fear.

“I’m afraid of heights. I wanted to overcome that fear so I started jumping over 15 years ago,” said Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Bowers of the 81^st Ready Reserve Command, a fulltime employee of Gulf Stream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga.

Even administrative clerks are looking for a way out of the office and into air. Spc. Stephanie L. Strickland, an administrative specialist, transferred out of the paperwork and into a parachute.

“I will be going to airborne school soon. I like this better being out of the office. My family is a little worried and the (physical training) is more strenuous, but I am ready to do this,” said Spc. Stephanie L. Strickland.

British Lance Cpl. Richard C. Ryan, a veteran of the Iraq war, earned his “American wings” at Fort Bragg, N.C. He said Americans do larger-scale maneuvers than the British. Jumping is an exhilarating escape from his civilian job as a lawyer, he said.

“This is more exciting than being in a courtroom. When I deployed to Iraq in 2003 during the invasion, I worked with U.S. armored tank battalions destroying enemy tanks. Here, I work as combat medic to assist the jumpers,” said Ryan.

The joint effort Operation Black Warrior heightened morale as the training flew by. After the training Soldiers will put away their parachutes and pull out their briefcases dreaming of another jump.