The Drop Zone

Jumpmasters Briefing Quotes, Sayings, Stories and Poems... If you have any to add please send them to me.

What manner of men are these who wear the maroon beret?
They are, firstly, all volunteers and are toughened by hard physical training.As a result they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical well being. They have "jumped" from the air and by so doing have conquered fear.
Their duty lies in the van of the battle; they are proud of this honour and have never failed in any task. They have the highest standards in all things whether it be skill in Battle or smartness in the execution of all peacetime duties. They have shown themselves to be as tenacious and determined in defence as they are courageous in the attack. They are, in fact, men apart -- every man an Emperor.
Of all the factors which make for success in battle the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit can be found in full measure in the men who wear the maroon beret.

Field Marshall The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

THE AIRBORNE MYSTIQUE In French, they are know as "les Paras", in German "die Fallschirmjager, in Spanish "los Paracaidistas and, in English, we call them "Paratroopers". Whatever the language used, the connotation is that of soldiers who are held in awe and respect by their countrymen and possible adversaries. They form a body of tough, elite, highly disciplined troops for any nation. For some, they have been held back as a general reserve; for others, they have been the first forces employed in time of trouble. More then any other types, airborne forces are most directly and effectively useful in cold war, limited conflict, and general war. In cold war they represent the nation's "hole card"---mobile forces always ready for rapid deployment---and so are a deterrent force. In limited war they would likely be the first army forces strategically deployed. In general war they could carry out a variety of missions such as reinforcing combat elements already deployed, filling strategic gaps where there were no deployments and interdicting enemy forces by vertical envelopment. A large part of the viability factor in the airborne as an important part of the force structure comes from the effect of airborne training on the individual. Why airborne? Aside from the practical value of airborne troops, there's a tremendous psychological mystique that's established around men who jump out of aeroplanes. The "mystique" is, in reality, a personality change undergone by those who become paratroopers. The change is based upon two major facets: the rite of initiation which allows a soldier to be called a "paratrooper", and the continued reinforcement of this status. THE INITIATION RITE Sociologists long ago confirmed in laboratory experiments the logic that all men who have undergone stress to be accepted into a particular group intuitively know; a severe initiation causes entrants to value the group highly, whereas a mild initiation does not engender nearly as much of a commitment to the group. This was demonstrated by Elliot Aronson of Stanford University and Judson Mills of the Leadership Human Research Unit, Human Resources Research Organization in their 1959 studies. Aronson and Mills described a situation in which a number of subjects were given a severe initiation to a group they knew nothing about; an equal number were given a mild initiation; and a third group was given no initiation at all. After listening to the group's discussion by the use of headphones, the subjects were asked to rate the group and their own feelings toward being a part of the group. The subjects who received no initiation rated the group a statistically significant amount lower then did the subjects who received a severe initiation. Said Aronson and Mills: The results clearly verified the hypotheses. Subjects who underwent a severe initiation perceived the group as being significantly more attractive then did those who underwent a mild initiation and those who underwent no initiation. The initiation described by Aronson and Mills lasted but a few hours. Contrast that with the three weeks of intensive training to make a paratrooper, and the finding effect of the initiation is magnified many times. The three weeks of jump school is a severe "rite of passage", and there is no "mild" initiation. There are only two grades in this school: Superior or failure!! The rite of passage analogy as described by Melford Weiss has three stages: ...separation from the former group or state; transition to the new; and, finally, incorporation...In the case of paratroopers training, the transitional phase is most important. The transition is accomplished by physical stress and repetition through the first two weeks of the training. The trainee is subjected to all situations encountered in jumping, one at a time, and drilled to execute an automatic response to each of these situations. In the third week, he puts it all together. Before the last week is out, he jumps five times. Five times he is grabbed by apprehension, and five times he is exhilarated when his chute pops open and eases him down...He'll step out a little prouder, more confident, his head still dizzy from the experience which will live in his memories for the rest of his life. The rite of passage is not completely over. Any airborne trooper joining a unit is regarded with distrust until he has jumped with the unit. The cohesiveness of any unit is greatly enhanced by shared experiences of its members. A requirement of an elite group is that a new member demonstrate his credentials for joining the group. Says University of Chicago sociologist and former Israeli paratrooper Cideon Aran: "The striking resemblance between the jump experience and rites of passage suggests another aspect of the association between jumping and elite status. Jumping can be viewed as a test which allows those who pass it to join an exclusive club." REINFORCEMENT OF STATUS All the soldiers on jump status are required to jump at least once every three months. The majority jump more frequently than this. In no case does the act of jumping become routine. In every instance in which a paratrooper steps into space with the ground 1250 feet away, he risks his life. His main parachute, reserve parachute, or both, may malfunction; he may be dragged by the wind once he lands; or he may be blown into the trees or high-tension wires. Although the number of fatalities and serious injuries from parachuting is very small, the consequences of being part of a very small statistic keeps the paratrooper respectful of the act in which he is engaging. The tensions involved in the continuous requirements for jumping ensure that there is no regression from the personality change which took place during the initiation. Gideon Aran states that there are two motifs which maintain the personality change which we may call "The Airborne Mystique". The first motif is the: ...rich symbolic significance with which parachuting is charged.....this motif obviously results from the intense emotions that accompany the act, especially fear. The fear is always there, but is under control. The following thoughts were expressed by a young paratrooper: "You feel these thoughts -- strong inside you. Fear! But fear mixed with the wild spirit, freedom and bravado that jumping gives you. These thoughts are dormant in your consciousness; the only thing that goes through your mind is -- let's get out; let's jump; let's GO!!" THE RESULT Jumping encourages self confidence, determination, self reliance, masterful activity, aggression, courage, and other items symptomatic of the phallic-narcissistic type, all of which are very important in the military setting, especially in paratroop commando units, which rely heavily on individual action and are aggressive in nature. In a way, even the illusion of omnipotence enhanced by jumping can make a better soldier. Paratroopers live a life of uncertainty. Not only must they continually be tested in the air, but they are also subjected to frequent alerts for deployment. At least an equal number are due to actual conditions which may require their presence. In recent history, we can think of a sufficient number of actual deployments to know that the paratrooper must be ready. Parachute jumping tests and hardens a soldier under stress in a way nothing short of battle can do. You never know about others. But paratroopers will fight. You can bet on that. They repeatedly face danger while jumping and develop self discipline that conquers fear. Subconsciously, every trooper knows this. That's why he has that extra cocky confidence. Part of the World War II German paratroopers creed reads as follows: "Be as nimble as a greyhound, as tough as leather, as hard a Krupp steel......Never surrender. To your death or victory must be a point of honour." German paratroopers performed acts of daring against great odds at Fort Eben Emael and on Crete. They often fulfilled the requirements of their creed. Canadian paratroopers have performed similarly and will continue to do so in the future.

AIRBORNE TOAST I have ridden the skies in great machines, hooked up and jumped with the best of men. I have fought long and hard, and when I felt I had no energy left, I have been fired by the fear that if I stopped fighting, my comrades would die. And when I was in danger, enemy all around, I heard the thunder from my left and my right, as my life was defended. I have never been alone. I live, jump, fight and battle to victory with the greatest assemblage of men on earth. Gentlemen, to the BROTHERHOOD of the AIRBORNE. To the AIRBORNE !

AIRBORNE CREED I Am An Airborne Trooper! A Paratrooper! I Jump by Parachute From Anyplace in Flight. I Volunteer to Do It, Knowing Well the Hazards of My Choice. I Serve in A Mighty Airborne Force Famed for It's Deeds in War; Renowned for It's Readiness in Peace. It is My Pledge to Uphold It's Honour and Prestige in All I Am, in All I Do. I Am An Elite Trooper - A Sky Trooper - A Shock Trooper - A Spearhead Trooper. I Blaze the Way for Far Flung Goals Behind, Before, Above the Foe's Front Line. I Know That I May Have to Fight for Days on End Without Support. Therefore, I Keep Mind and Body Always Fit to Do My Part in Any Airborne Task. I Am Self-reliant and Unafraid. I Shoot True, March Fast and Far. I Fight Hard and Excel in Every Artiface of War. I Never Fail A Fellow Trooper. I Cherish As A Sacred Trust the Lives of Men Whom I Serve. Leaders Have My Fullest Loyalty and Those Who I Lead Never Find Me Lacking. I Have Pride in the Airborne - I Never Let it Down. In Peace, I Do Not Shirk the Dullest Duty Nor Protest the Tougest Training. My Weapon and Equipment Are Always Combat Ready. I Am Neat of Dress, Military Courtesy, Proper in Conduct and Behavior. In Battle, I Fear No Foes Ability Nor Underestimate His Prowess, Power and Guile. I Fight Him with All My Power and Skill - Ever Alert to Evade Capture Or Escape A Trap. I Never Surrender Though I Be the Last. My Goal in Peace Or War is to Succeed in Any Mission of the Day - Or Die If Need Be, in the Try. I Belong to Proud and Glorious Team - the Airborne - the Army - My Country - Canada. I Am It's Chosen Pride - to Fight Where Others May Not Go - to Serve Them Well Until the Final Victory. I Am A Trooper of the Sky. I Am Canada's Best. In Peace and War I Never Fail, Anywhere, Anytime, in Anthing - I AM AIRBORNE !

AIRBORNE Where is the prince who can afford so to cover his country with troops for its defense, as that ten thousand men descending from the clouds, might not, in many places, do an infinite deal of mischief before a force could be brought together to repel them?

Benjam Franklin, 1784

There are three kinds of men: The living, the dead, and the AIRBORNE !

Gen. Carl W Stiner, USSOCOM CINC

AIRBORNE The Donning of Their Chutes, The Wearing of the Gear; Not One A Recruit, In Those Who Are Here. Nostrils Filled, With Herc Exhaust; The Men in the Aft, Not One of Them Lost. Waiting for the Go, And the Green Light; The Soft White Snow, Far Below in the Night. Down They Come, Fast with Their Gear; Each Man Deployed, So Very Near. They Hit, They Roll, They Drag So Light; Canopies Released, And Buried Out of Sight. Who Are These Men, Who Dared to Be Scorned; Their Berets Say it All, This is the Airborne!

Marc Belanger, 1982

SOLDIER'S PRAYER I Was That Which Others Did Not Want to Be, I Went Where Others Feared to Go, and Did What Others Feared to Do. I Asked Nothing From Those Who Gave Nothing, and Reluctantly Accepted the Thought, of Eternal Loneliness Should I Fail. I Have Seen the Face of Terror, Felt the Stinging Cold of Fear, and Enjoyed the Sweet Taste of A Moments Love. I Have Cried, Pained, and Hoped, But Most of All, I Have Lived Times, Others Would Say Were Best Forgotten. At Least Someday I Will Be Able to Say, That I Was Proud Of What I Was... ...A SOLDIER

"A SHORT ODE" A Tale Was Told by HOMER, Three Thousand Years Ago, About the First Winged Solder, and this is All We Know. He Was Born in the Town of Corinth, and Called BELLEROPHON, He Had Rather A Strict Upbringing, Considering What Went On. He Had to Do Some Dodging, Because He Wouldn't Play, with the Lady At His Lodging, and She Took it the Wrong Way. For She Made Her Husband Pick Him, for the Worst Job in the Place, to Fight A Damned Great Dragon, That No-one Else Would Face. Athene, the Great Goddess, Was on His Side, of Course, and Gave Him Some Golden Harness, to Catch the Flying Horse. He Could Handle the Heaviest Spear There Was, and He'd Practised All the Cuts, But the Fact That He Fought on PEGASUS Showed Brains, As Well As Guts. We Don't Know If He Glided, Or Dropped Down Like A Hawk, But We Know That He Decided, That it Wasn't Safe to Walk. The Monster Breathed Out Clouds of Flak, and Had An Armoured Skin, So He Made the First AIRBORNE Attack, and Did the Bastard In!

Issued to 1 CAN PARA prior to the D-DAY jump

"So we'll go no more a jumpin, So late into the night, Though the heart be still as willing, and the moon be still as bright

Lord Byron

"One of the most intense areas of concentration was near Brigade Headquarters where the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was involved in a series of deadly encouters. Although the Battalion was entirely Canadian, they were very much part of the British 6th Airborne Division. Tthe Battalion 600 strong was a magnificent fighting unit, but for all their qualities they were put to a tremendous test in and around the Le Mesnil Crossroads. They were in action on D-DAY, and in some respects even more so in the days to come. Many fell, but no one crossed the ridge, they held it. There is now a memorial there marking these events."

From "Red Berets into Normandy" by Sir Huw Weldon

He which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart... But we in it shall be remembered; We few band of Brothers... For he today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my Brother...

Henry V

THE AIRBORNE Who are these men who fall from the sky? Determination on their face, and fire in their eye, Maroon berets, and paint-by-number smocks, All the time thinking, they're No. 1 jocks. It's The Airborne! Hard they work, day and nite, So, if called upon, they can go and fight, Push-ups and chin-ups and running galore, All the time shouting "We Want More". It's The Airborne! Up in the mock tower, practicing their jump, Every third one out lands on his rump. The RSM yelling and screaming in vain, All the troops thinking, "This Guy's Insane". It's The Airborne! At last the day comes, now for the real thing, Each of them feeling like he is a king. The doors are open, they are all hooked up, They're ready to make this important first jump. It's The Airborne! Who are these men who fall from the sky? Determination on their face and fire in their eye, These are the few, the proud, and the brave, These are the ones, for which the skies were made. These Are The AIRBORNE!

Cpl(w) Gosselin Nov 83

The Soldier TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED A CANADIAN SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY. THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, "SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS." THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE." ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem was written by a Peace keeping soldier stationed overseas.

The following is his request. I think it is reasonable . . .

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many

people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to

our Canadian service men and women for our being able to celebrate these

festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.

Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed

themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.