Photo By Capt. Hector Rene Membreno-Canales | Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade,...... read more read more
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DRAWSKO-POMORSKIE, Poland - For the newest paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade their most recent jump into Piaskowy Airfield, Poland, was their first jump since completing airborne training.
The 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt., based in Vicenza, Italy, arrived at the request of the Polish government June 26 to train with the Polish army in an unscheduled land-forces exercise. They replaced paratroopers from the brigade’s 1st Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt., who arrived in Poland in April to begin the training deployment.
“I’m excited to be here and honored that the Polish military has invited us to train with them,” said Pvt. Chase Montgomery, a paratrooper assigned to 2nd Bn. “I’m ready.”
The airdrop from a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules included both paratroopers and multiple vehicles.
A minimum of five airborne jumps is required to complete the U.S. Army’s Airborne School and for many of the younger paratroopers this is only their sixth jump, making it their first as a “Sky Soldier” with the 173rd Airborne.
“It was pretty scary because I haven’t jumped since airborne school, but it was a perfect day to jump. No wind, the ground was soft,” said Pvt. Martin Martinez assigned to the battalion. “It can be nerve wracking at first, but once the parachute opens it’s fun because at that point you’re just gliding down.”
Some of the paratroopers have only been with the unit for two weeks since completing training.
“This only being their sixth jump gives them a special opportunity to see how rapid an airborne unit can jump into an objective to secure it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tyler Benge, a platoon sergeant in the 173rd Airborne.
“It’s been a short amount of time to get ready for our combined training,” said Benge. “Some of us have never done a heavy drop either.”
U.S. Army Europe has more than 15 years of military cooperation with Poland and deployed approximately 600 paratroopers from the brigade to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces. The 173rd Airborne will be training in Poland for several months.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy, is the U.S. Army’s contingency-response force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct the full of range of military operations across the United States Army European, Central and Africa command’s areas of responsibility.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2014 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 135115 |
| Location: | DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, PL |
| Hometown: | VICENZA, IT |
| Web Views: | 1,038 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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