Photo By Capt. Jennifer French | At Juliet Drop Zone, retired Col. Barb Trent and her husband, retired Capt. Jim...... read more read more
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VAJONT, Italy (March 14, 2024)—Anticipation filled Juliet Drop Zone as the noon sun peaked through the clouds. Retired military intelligence Col. Barb Trent was among the crowd of veterans and spectators who witnessed the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s first all-female airborne operation.
The sight of 98 women paratroopers simultaneously jumping from a C-130 aircraft holds a special significance to Trent. She was commissioned in 1979 from the New Mexico Military Institute as one of the first female officers in the regular Army. She understands the challenges and barriers that women in the military often face.
“It is just so incredible,” Trent said. When I first joined the Army in 1979, women weren’t even allowed in combat arms.”
Trent was a military intelligence officer specializing in signal intelligence. Her first assignment was with the 584th Military Intelligence Brigade in Vicenza, Italy. For 29 years, she served her country in various intelligence roles and the National Security Agency until she retired in 2008.
Trent admires the strength, determination, and resilience of female soldiers.
“To see these young ladies today is phenomenal,” Trent said. Seeing what they’ve been able to do—becoming infantry, rangers, and airborne—it’s overwhelming.”
For the women of the Herd, Thursday’s jump was not just another training exercise. It was a symbol of empowerment and solidarity. Headquarters Company commander for the Brigade Support Battalion Capt. Kristina Hughes organized the jump. In her 12 years of military service, she said she has never had the opportunity to conduct an all-female mission.
“Women’s History Month is a perfect time to do this,” Hughes said. “The fact that we have enough qualified female leaders and jumpmasters to pull this off is remarkable. It’s a testament to our progress and hard work.”
Trent’s husband Jim Matchin was a Sky Soldier during the Vietnam War. He knows the adrenaline rush, exhilaration, and freedom of parachuting from the sky. He was a jumpmaster when the Army sent its first five airborne-qualified female riggers to Fort Campbell in 1974.
“Back then, women were riggers,” Matchin said. “Now you’ve got all these great women—all of these officers—it’s just amazing.”
Trent and her husband Jim know the sky is the limit if women like those she witnessed Thursday. For her, it is a legacy worth fighting for.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2024 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 466230 |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 1,060 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Witnessing History: Veterans Observe an All-Female Airborne Operation Jump, by CPT Jennifer French, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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