Multinational airborne Rangers exchange wings at Joint Warfighting Assessment

Photo By Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Matson | A U.S. Army Ranger (right) with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is presented his foreign jump wings from an Italian Army 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment Ranger after a joint airborne jump at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, April 27, 2018. The two country's Rangers had been training together the previous 10 days as part of the Joint Warfighting Assessment 18, enhancing their future joint inetroperability. The training culminated with the jump, which afforded members of both units the opportunity to earn foreign jump wings. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by 1st Sgt. Ryan C. Matson)  

GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY

04.27.2018

Story by 1st Sgt. Ryan Matson 

372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The jump was an added bonus to the training the two units had been conducting as part of the Joint Warfighting Assessment, a massive training exercise involving more than 4,800 troops from 10 partner nations conducted at Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr training areas. The objectives of the assessment were three-fold – training readiness, future force development, and interoperability with allies in a resource-constrained environment.
“Today, we conducted a foreign-wing-exchange jump today, sort of exercising the airborne component unique to both of our organizations,” explained Capt. Kyle Payne, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. “In a total of 10 days, we packed a lot of training in there, and I think both of us got a lot out of it.”
The two groups of Rangers jumped side by side from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. As dusk fell on Grafenwoehr, Rangers from both nations gathered for a small, private ceremony to observe the time-honored tradition of pinning their country’s jump wings on the chest of their foreign allies.
“Days like today are unique because we jumped with the guys we’ve been training with over the last 10 days, so those bonds are made stronger by that,” Payne said. “It was a beautiful day here in Germany, and you have two different Special Operations components coming together from two different countries. With very little language crossover, guys were able to exit a CH-47 and land on the drop zone and high-five and shake hands at the end. I think it’s very unique and I think most of our guys will not get this opportunity again, so it’s a very special day and we really lucked out with it going off the way it did.”

• Date Taken: 04.27.2018
• Date Posted: 05.04.2018 11:53
• Story ID: 275755
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, DE