Army Paratrooper School

[kentmitchell]

I've been watching a show on The Military Channel about the army's paratrooper school at Fort Benning.

It starts with this Command Sgt Maj making a big show about getting motivated. "I know I'm motivated," and he proceeds to scream at them about getting motivated.

I didn't even hear crap like that in boot camp. In MY Marine Corps you damn well better be motivated all the time. Is the rest of the army so unmotivated they have to open jump school with a speech about it?

I'm curious. Have any Marines here been to jump school? How does it rate in toughness to what you've been through in the Corps?

I've heard from a few Marines that jump school isn't so tough for Marines. Is that bluster or is it true?

[thewookie]

I've been watching a show on The Military Channel about the army's paratrooper school at Fort Benning.

It starts with this Command Sgt Maj making a big show about getting motivated. "I know I'm motivated," and he proceeds to scream at them about getting motivated.

I didn't even hear crap like that in boot camp. In MY Marine Corps you damn well better be motivated all the time. Is the rest of the army so unmotivated they have to open jump school with a speech about it?

I'm curious. Have any Marines here been to jump school? How does it rate in toughness to what you've been through in the Corps?

I've heard from a few Marines that jump school isn't so tough for Marines. Is that bluster or is it true?

It's not tough, or it wasn't for me. If you are fat and out of shape it might be tough, if you have a hard time learning how to land it might be tough, but if you are a Marine and in reasonable shape then it's a 3 week break from the fleet.

Airborne.

[Lupo22]

While I'm just a boot waiting to goto SOI, I've asked several Marines who already have their wings and they've said that its a joke for the Marines but some of the soldiers struggle a bit. But hey, thats why we're Marines. Because on my 10 day leave, I still wake up at 0700 and run 1.5-3 miles every morning and follow it with 50-100 pushups and situps. Thats why we're Marines and we're the best.

I, too, have been watching that program and when I heard that their initial PFT requirement is 42 pushups and 52 situps, I literally laughed out loud and told my g/f that the fat bodies were doing that my first PT at boot camp.

I look forward to earning my wings the first available opportunity. And I won't need any motivational speech! Oorah!

[FistFu68]

When I went "Class 40" it was a Bear thats way before they let Women in the AIRBORNE!!!Biggest mistake the U.S.Army ever made.Good Luck be ready 4 a Major Malfunction at any Second

[kentmitchell]

One of the things that stood out was the number of "fat chicks" in the ranks on that show.

[yellowwing]

That just seems like such a waste of training money. Women do much more these days, but will women ever parachute into war?

[Apache]

Learning to jump out of an airplane that was working
was as someone said--a break from the Fleet.

[Jave]

Jump school wasn't intended to be some super elitist, "only the strong survive" ordeal. It's simply a school to teach basic airborne training. There's the usual yelling and screaming and basic PT, but other then that, if you've been through any basic training, it's gonna be a walk in the park if you have kept in at least decent physical condition.

[thewookie]

That just seems like such a waste of training money. Women do much more these days, but will women ever parachute into war?

Yeah, I agree. But they might need them as support people. There's a lot of people at jump school that "shouldn't" be there, to include myself, I wasn't with a "jump" unit. It was just a benny for me.

[Supersquishy]

Yeah, I agree. But they might need them as support people. There's a lot of people at jump school that "shouldn't" be there, to include myself, I wasn't with a "jump" unit. It was just a benny for me.

Did they try and fail Marines? What was the PT like, I heard they fail you and send you packing if you can't do the required amount of pushups(50) in two minutes. Is all that true or BS to scare us?

[thewookie]

Did they try and fail Marines? What was the PT like, I heard they fail you and send you packing if you can't do the required amount of pushups(50) in two minutes. Is all that true or BS to scare us?

Nah, I don't think they "try" to fail Marines. My impression with Sgt. Airborne, or the black hats who run the show is they respect Marines. But its a give and take relationship, go there acting a clown and they might toss ya for any reason they see fit. They f with ya, but that makes it fun. As long as you go there and realize that it's their school you're fine, but if you want to lock horns with them I'm sure they'd boot ya. But there's also a small contingent of Marines stationed on Benning acting as the Marine liaison to the Army.

PT is easy, like somebody already said it's not supposed to be this super elite school. Basic school there: mass people jumping chutes that they used in WWII. Sloooow runs and push-ups; not much to fear for Marines who can at least run a 200 plus PFT. 50 push-ups in two minutes is ridiculously pathetic, you should be able to easily knock out close to 50 in a minute if you're not some big cheeseburger.

BTW -- the toughest thing is LANDING, not jumping. You land like a lawn dart.

[FistFu68]

During My era the Chit 2ND FORCE RECON put my young azz through would have made a Billy Goat Puke!!!Before being picked too attend the U.S.Army Airborne Formal School,out of 47 only 5 of us went. We had sum HOTDOG P.T. Studs but like the Gunny said Force Recon is a Team We want Team players,You are only as Strong as Your Weakest Link.It was a Highlight in My Life being 1 of the 5 who were picked.S/F Long Live Force

[yellowwing]

Sadly when everything goes wrong:

Soldier from Fort Meade killed in skydiving mishap
The Associated Press
8:30 AM EDT, August 3, 2009

Police in Virginia identified a man killed in a skydiving accident Saturday as Command Sgt. Major Harry Parrish, 53, of Fort Meade.

Parrish’s body was found Sunday morning near Middle Peninsula Regional Airport, not far from the town of West Point, about 40 miles east of Richmond. State police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said Parrish was on a civilian training exercise Saturday night and went missing after jumping from the plane around 7 p.m.

[FistFu68]

What a waste Night Jumps are very very Dangerous Rest In Peace Sgt.Major of the U.S.ARMY

[kentmitchell]

I wonder if parachute infantry isn't a waste of good men. They take good men who are supposed to be elite, their units are seriously under-armed and their line of supply . . .?
The 101st Air Assault Division is better suited for today's warfare. They use helos instead of parachutes.
Now, wait a minute, does that sound familiar? Where did they get the idea to transport large numbers of troops in helos?
We were doing that in '56 in Japan . . . and taking it one more step--off aircraft carriers designated as troop carrying flight decks, weren't we?
I still laugh when I see all those stories about the army "inventing" the 1st Air Cav. All they had to do was ask the Marines how to do it and we'd have been glad to show them.
Landing's not quite as painful, either, unless the engine is shot out. I think auto-rotation is just a myth to calm the troops.