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I believe it's more of an honorary thing that you put in your I-Love-Me show-box as opposed to something which is authorised for wear on the uniform. I could well be wrong though.
moi , jealous ? never, did a jump once would rather remain on terra firma . and yes it was the now famous dutch wings course but we decided to "bail out" and go on the piss in amsterdam instead........but i did'nt get a jump there...
:confused: ONCE YOU HAVE THEM BY THE BALLS , THEN YOU CAN WIN THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS ! :
I know for a fact Kevin B.'s Unit played enemy party for the Rangers last year in Bere Island during the Naval Fleet Ex. so I think its fair to say Kevin B will probably get a lot closer to them than most. Why you would want to, I have no idea.....
I believe it's more of an honorary thing that you put in your I-Love-Me show-box as opposed to something which is authorised for wear on the uniform. I could well be wrong though.
NTM
Sorry to say but you are wrong. All you need now is a foreign jumpmaster on the manifest , foreign orders and the Army will cut your orders for wear. Whats that quaint phrase I learned in the Army....Oh yeah... I got mine!
The Rangers were decent folks and squared me and another ex pat (from Derry of all places) away to ensure we had an Irish jumpmaster on our lift. Very good show on the part of the ARW , a huge number of crimbo pressies for needy kids and I got my Irish Wings in my DA photo.
When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow.
All them women gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how
Sorry to say but you are wrong. All you need now is a foreign jumpmaster on the manifest , foreign orders and the Army will cut your orders for wear. Whats that quaint phrase I learned in the Army....Oh yeah... I got mine!
Heh. I'll be buggered. Oh well.
Perhaps it's sortof taking into account that all jump courses tend to have the same basic minimums of about 5 static line jumps?
FORT BRAGG – Soldiers and airmen are jumping at the chance to help needy children this holiday season during the 11th annual Operation Toy Drop, under way at Fort Bragg. Thousands of paratroopers brought in toys to give to charity. 800 paratroopers were preselected for the jump, another 500 soldiers competed in a raffle for the remaining 200 empty slots.
Operation Toy Drop is sponsored by the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, USACAPOC. This year, organizers expect more than $55,000 worth of toys will be donated. One child will find a bicycle under the Christmas tree this year thanks to Sgt. 1st Class Mark Valldeperas and his three children. "They love riding their bikes. I just figured that buying a bicycle for a needy child is the right thing to do," Valldeperas said.
The event runs for eight days and brings soldiers and airmen from bases around the country for the jump. Next week, the toys will be distributed to social service agencies and children's homes. SSG John Sexton said had his toy ready and was one of the few chosen to jump.
"It was a great way to be able to give something to kids who are less fortunate,” Sexton said. “I had my daughter pick out the gift. It was really special for me to do that." The toy drop was renamed the Randy Oler Memorial Operation Toy Drop in 2004 after the jump master who founded the charity event died unexpectedly. Capt. Mark Flynn with USACAPOC said it only made sense to name it after Sgt. 1st Class Oler. "Those who were close to him decided it would be a fitting tribute, as well as command, to dedicate the operation he started in memory of him," Oler said.
To show thanks to the soldiers who helped the children, jump masters from Germany and Ireland will conduct the drops, allowing soldiers to earn their foreign jump wings. But Valldeperas said he wanted to do it for a different reason.
"I didn't do it for the foreign jump wings, I basically did it – even if I didn't get on this, I would have given up the bike," he said.
PFC Julia Stephens of the 82nd Airborne earns Irish jump wings during Operation Toy Drop Jump along with other 82nd Airborne Paratroopers.
A couple of photos from the 2005 event. After all the trouble I had devising a way to hide facial features, I discover that the unaltered photo is here on this thread.
"My jump with Irish jumpmasters was unforgettable," said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Heins, 302nd Signal Battalion. "The hand and arm signals were similar to our American jumpmasters, but the Irish said all their verbal commands in Gaelic."
Last edited by Fireplace; 10 December 2008, 01:26.
You will never have a quiet world until you knock the patriotism out of the human race
Irish Defense Force Sgt. *removed by me, a jumpmaster from the Army Ranger Wing, Curragh Camp, County Kildare, Ireland, prepares to award U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., Irish army jump wings during Operation Toy Drop on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2008.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. DeNoris A. Mickle
Dr. Venture: Why is it every time I need to get somewhere, we get waylaid by jackassery?
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