Over 1,000 Soldiers Jump For A Good Cause
Army Private Gregory Amones sat on the ground with a cherry pie
oozing out the right thigh pocket of his uniform. Facing his first
parachute jump at Fort Bragg, NC, the soldier didn’t mind the
smashed cherry stain on his battle uniform.
The "cherry pie" rite of passage -- celebrating a paratrooper's
first jump with his or her assigned unit out of Basic Training --
didn't compare to the jump he was about to make from a 440th
Airlift Wing C-130. Private Amones was joining more than a thousand
other soldiers and Airmen in Operation Toy Drop.
Celebrating its 10th year, Operation Toy Drop is an
international exercise that trains allied jumpmasters to work with
US active duty and Reserve paratroopers. The soldiers’
airlift is provided by active duty and Reserve C-130 aircrews.
"It’s an extremely worthwhile program," said Lt. Col. John
Loranger, a navigator assigned to the 440th Airlift Wing based at
Pope AFB, who flew his first "Toy Drop" December 8. "Not only do we
fly missions supporting combined joint operations, we’re also
collecting thousands of toys to help needy children during the
holiday season."
Named after Sgt. 1st Class Randy Oler, the founder of the
original toy drop, the mission attracts international jumpmasters
and US soldiers eager to earn international jump wings. The
majority of the event is run by Fort Bragg’s Civil Affairs
and Psychological operations unit.
The airlift was provided by the 2nd Airlift Squadron and 95th
Airlift Squadron -- Air Force Reserve. This year’s
participants included jumpmasters from Canada, Chile, Germany and
Ireland.
"It’s a meaningful exercise," said Sgt. Kai Becker, a
German airborne soldier participating in Operation Toy Drop. "As a
jumpmaster I get to give American soldiers wings after they jump,
and it’s a wonderful way to meet other airborne soldiers from
around the world."
Sergeant Becker said the toy drop made the event extra special.
"I donated a car for a young boy," he said. "Maybe it will be the
son of a deployed soldier who receives it."
The German jumpmaster described the weekend as an exciting
buildup to the jump.
"First we (US and international soldiers) donate a toy or two,"
he explained. "Then the soldiers get a lottery number. The random
number determines what chalk they will fly on the next day, and
what international jumpmaster they will work with. The event is
very festive."
By Saturday morning, hundreds of paratroopers lined up at the
Sicily Drop Zone on Fort Bragg. At timed intervals, the C-130s
landed and the soldiers marched onto the aircraft with the engines
still running. Within five minutes, the C-130s took off in the
dust, and a short time later the soldiers jumped from the C-130s as
hundreds of families and friends watched from the ground.
Mission Commander Capt. Adam Shockley, a navigator with the 43rd
Airlift Wing, monitored the C-130s from the Sicily Drop Zone.
"Everyone wins in Operation Toy Drop," he said, holding a radio
to his ear as he watched soldiers jump from a Reserve C-130. "This
is the first year the 440th is a player, and we’re seeing
integration between the active duty and Reserve, and learning from
each other in the process. We’re also seeing the Army and Air
Force work together, and including the foreign jumpmasters.
It’s really an amazing operation."
Operation Toy Drop veteran 18th Airborne Corps Army Sgt. Major
Kevin Quinn agreed.
"By bringing all these people together, we are exchanging a lot
of knowledge," said the soldier. "We share practices, procedures
and techniques for a good cause, and will be better prepared for
NATO missions and combined joint operations."
More than 1050 soldiers jumped this year, averaging about 50 per
plane.
(Aero-News salutes Lt. Col. Ann Peru Knabe, 440th Airlift Wing,
Public Affairs)