Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy | Soldiers jump from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter above Kingston, R.I., Saturday, Aug. 7,...... read more read more
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KINGSTON, R.I. -- The goal: Reach the “X” in the center of the field in the least amount of time.
Sounds simple enough, but when the start point to reach that “X” is 1,500 feet in the air, the task isn’t quite so simple.
More than 200 airborne soldiers convened here late last week to do just that as part of the 28th annual Leapfest International Airborne Competition.
Sponsored by the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the event has four-person teams jump from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter with the goal being to land as close as possible to a large “X” placed in the center of the drop zone.
Once on the ground, team members are timed on how long it takes to reach the “X.”
“Basically, from the time you’re on the aircraft to the time you hit the ground that’s all you’re thinking about is getting there as quick as you can,” said Spc. Cody Kurtz, an infantryman assigned to the Maryland Guard’s C Troop, 1st Squadron, 158th Cavalry.
Though each jumper is timed as an individual, their time is then averaged together with their teammates. Each team jumps three times with the time from each jump then averaged together for the final score.
Getting to the “X” in the shortest amount of time is part running, but also part reading the wind.
“If you need to go into the wind, you’re going to have a difficult time,” said Kurtz. “It’s just playing off what the wind is doing.”
For Kurtz, it all starts with the exit from the aircraft.
“You’re just thinking about making a good exit so you can gain control of the canopy quickly and then identify where you need to be,” he said. “Then it’s just trying to remember that as soon as I hit the ground I have to get moving, make sure I have the chute under control and just get there as quick as I can.”
Luck also plays a factor, said Kurtz, who after his first jump reached the “X” in seven seconds.
“I was lucky,” he said. “I was in a position where the wind was pushing the chute where I needed it to go, so, I lucked out. But there are a lot of guys out there that you see them running and the chute is inflated behind them and they’re not going anywhere.”
Though the word competition may be in the name of the event, the focus is really on training.
“The biggest thing is, obviously, we’re training to get proficient at this,” said Kurtz, adding that normally when his unit jumps the goal isn’t to hit a specific point in the drop zone, but rather to simply get on the ground in the drop zone.
Taking part in this event gives them greater experience with their equipment. “It’s just getting a little better feel for control of the chute,” he said. “Obviously, that’s going to benefit us when we’re doing it for [a real world mission].”
The event also brings together a variety of Soldiers with differing levels of experience in a very close-knit community.
“There are a lot of different levels of experience here,” said Army Capt. Christopher Ahlmeyer, commander of C Company, 1st Battalion, 143rd Airborne Infantry Regiment of the Texas Army Guard. “But that’s a beautiful thing because everyone is able to work together and see different jobs.”
And that benefits his Soldiers, said Ahlmeyer.
“It’s more of a growing experience and also great exposure for them,” he said. “This is unique for them where they can see how tight-knit and professional [the airborne community is].”
For Ahlmeyer, one of the other benefits is the interaction with paratroopers from other nations. This year’s event drew jumpers from Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic, who noted a few differences in jumping procedures.
“When it comes to actually dispatching from the aircraft, with the Chinooks the green [light] is basically a 30 second warning [to jump],” said British Army Cpl. Sam May, an instructor with Training Company, The Parachute Regiment. “Whereas, with us, green is ‘go.’ That was quite difficult for all of us, seeing the green light and wanting to go and sort of having to just wait and hold until told to leave.”
And, adding in the international competition aspect increased the training value, said May.
“Friendly competition is always good,” he said. “You can always push boundaries more and more, especially when you get someone to compete against. So, I think it’s beneficial for everyone.”
That training time also included items outside of jumping, such as rappelling.
“Things like this, for us, are very few and far between,” said May. “Like the rappel tower is very unusual for our infantry forces, we don’t get a chance to do it.”
In the end, however, it all came back to jumping.
“If you ask anybody in an airborne unit, that’s why they’re here,” said Kurtz. “They want to jump, they want to be with the best and this is certainly a showcase of that.”
Members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky., took first place in this year’s event. Second place went to the 143rd Airborne Infantry Regiment with Georgia’s 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry taking home third.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2010 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 54227 |
| Location: | KINGSTON, RI, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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