173rd paratroopers jump with Lithuanian, Danish forces

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jason Lay | Staff Sgt. Devon Diaz, armorer and jumpmaster with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, makes a few final adjustments to a parachute worn by a paratrooper with the 2nd Danish Brigade. On 17 June, both U.S. and Danish paratroopers participated in a night jump into Rukla, Lithuania. The airborne operation wrapped up several weeks of partnership between NATO allies, including host-nation Lithuania. (PHOTO: Sgt. Jason Lay, 145th MPAD, Oklahoma Army National Guard)  

RUKLA, LITHUANIA

06.17.2014

Story by 2nd Lt. Leanna Maschino 

145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

RUKLA, Lithuania – U.S. paratroopers from the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, made their final airborne jump in Lithuania June 17 before returning to their home station.

Joining the “Sky Soldiers” of the 173rd were members of the 2nd Danish Brigade who were also making their final jump while in Lithuania for Saber Strike 2014. Saber Strike is a NATO training exercise carried out throughout the Baltic region involving approximately 4,500 personnel from more than 10 countries.

Approximately 600 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of an unscheduled land-forces exercise to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces.

Though the first two attempts were cancelled due to poor weather conditions, 64 U.S., Lithuanian and Danish jumpers were cleared to jump at 10:30 p.m. Following the jump, Danish paratroopers were awarded both American and Lithuanian jump wings.

A lot of coordination takes place for any airborne operation, including ensuring that each jump has a drop zone safety officer who is in charge of running safety operations on the drop zone and communicating with the pilots.

According to Sgt. 1st Class John Bock, platoon sergeant for Scout Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and acting drop zone safety officer for the jump, if the wind speeds are 10 knots or higher near a hard surface (such as tarmac on a runway), then personnel can’t jump; however, if the wind speeds are 13 knots in a location where there isn’t a hard surface, then it’s possible for the commander to approve the mission so long as other terrain and weather conditions permit it.

This was the last of three airborne jumps that paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, made during their time in Lithuania, where they arrived in April and worked daily alongside their NATO allies in the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Mechanized Infantry Brigade.

As they prepare to return to their home station in Vicenza, Italy, they will be replaced by “Sky Soldiers” from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, who will arrive via another airborne operation by the end of the month.

• Date Taken: 06.17.2014
• Date Posted: 06.26.2014 05:56
• Story ID: 134474
• Location: RUKLA, LT