@kyle although I’ve done more than a few static line lumps back in my army days, I was unable to secure a free fall jump while shooting this story. Being a civilian now is nice, but it does have its drawbacks! -Marty
Thanks to Coffee or Die for being a great supporter of USAJFKSWCS and for taking the time to come visit and share the great things happening at the Military Free Fall School!
Hey guys. Im a (Army) iraq combat vet. Y'all have always been my hero's. From basic in 2004 until my ETS in 2013 ive always looked up to the SF community. I never took that step to attempt SF. But even in Iraq I looked up to you guys. Thank you for all you do and have done. I was field artillery and a grunt, never near tear 1, but the SF community was always good to me. My wife, kids and I rest easy at night knowing youre on watch. Today I still serve by helping veterans from tear 1 to grunt that are suffering with PTSD, addictions and more. We love and pray for y'all daily. Thank you again for all y'all do. If there is any way I could get like some autographed posters or pictures of what y'all do, if it's even possible for my kids, i would do anything. Stay safe silver wings. God bless ya'll. Stay in the fight guys.
I served my country well and faithfully for 15 years but never did anything like this. I sleep so well at night knowing there's people willing to do this. So much respect. God bless you all!
your kabalist satanist goverment used you for a killer and you killed many innocent people. and satanist goverment throw like a rubbish after your service. you do not be stupid. do you?
Jesus, I went through this school in 2006. I am just blown away by the level of sincerity behind the production level of this video. It brought me to tears. Thank you for giving us so much respect. It just isn’t always easy to feel that after you come home. Bravo on the beauty and commitment you so obviously put into this video. As a vet it is so easy to feel forgotten. But to see what you put into this really warms my heart. Because so many people seem to forget about us after we come home.
Proud to have lived here while my dad was a military free fall instructor / jump master during 1998-2003. He definitely misses it. He said it was one of the best times of his military career.
Our military is second to none, bad-asses. Thank you all for your selfless service. My pop died 14 yrs ago, was a Navy man in the South Pacific during WWII. Much respect to all who serve.
Play golf? All the ones I seen. The women were buck naked. Driving golf carts..Every time some one said give me my 3 wood. I would tell them. Only wood I got was in my pants.
I got put on a detail while waiting for Airborne school to start to be the "training dummie" for some Ranger guys to practice their JMPI before their qualification test or something. I was with them for a week and it was absurd the amount of different details they had to know and the speed at which they had to do it. We literally did check after check after check for an entire week straight, and theres no telling how many times they did that before me. We practiced so much that i even memorized the steps. Its easy for people to overlook all the different skillsets these guys have, and what seems like a "simple check of gear" is actually a LOT of different things they need to know. It looks easy because they are so good at it they make it easy. The amount of practice and time they put into learning this stuff, and the knowledge these guys have is incredible.
"If it ain't raining we ain't training"! Lol Yea we were always training in the Army and I was just an M1A1/2 Abrams Tanker in Regular Army not SF! Especially since 9/11 these SF guys have pretty much been going nonstop and it's either they're deployed or they're training in preparation for their upcoming deployment!
Doesn't matter how many times you do it, never rush the checks as you'll miss things.... like the instructor getting on the plane without his leg straps done up (the very last shot of the guys getting on the plane silhouetted). Very naughty
It’s funny though, we hardly wore our badges, it was only until our sewn in badges were authorized that we got them sewn in..such a pain having to pin them onto our acus
Chris S : As An Honorably Discharged Regular Component USMC Infantry Rifleman ( PMOS 0311) And Reconnaissance Marine ( SMOS 0321), I've Had The Professional Privilege Of Working With The Operators And Shooters Of The United States Army Special Forces And I'll Concur With You That The MFF School And The Army's Combatant Diver 🏫 In Key West, Florida Is The Most Demanding But Most Rewarding Of Professional Military Education Ever. P.S. , The Insignia Is Earned And Never Given. Mucho Respect To The Army Special Forces. SEMPER FIDELIS SPIRITUS INVICTUS. Take Care.
I used to skydive, and after that 1st jump was just a test, they hold the Lolly pop while u climb out on wing strut, then Jusy let go and deploy, then they guide us n, after that completed 152 jumps it became a rush for more, even did a low at pull, got in trouble over that one, cause u know its considered a dead man's pull, but after my team crashed yrs ago on way to pik me up for a sunset jump,i gave it up,just don't lose ur altitude awareness while having fun on ur freefall
Its the rush, adrenaline , I've done 156 jumps just skydiving, lost my team thou in plane crash 20 yrs ago hear in Missouri, I was supposed to do video that day but had,to work,sucks,that wasn't there, guess had angle,looking over me,also pact mu own chute,nothing like,falling,at 150 or more mph freefall, low ever pulled was 1000ft, a u know is,what they call a dead man's pull,
@@raymondward8932 No offense, but imma call BS on pulling at 1,000’. As a skydiver myself, even I know that it takes at least 1,000’ for a canopy to open. Factor in the chances of having a malfunction at 1,000’ and it’s a wrap for you. The lowest C and D licensed skydivers are allowed to pull by USPA is 2,500’ AGL. Unless you live somewhere like Russia, ain’t no way…. Also you need a MINIMUM of at least 200 jumps in order to start jumping with a camera, per USPA. I have 350ish (and still a newbie in skydiver numbers) and even I only started jumping with a camera around 230ish.
Dope comment. My uncle is a now retired Military Freefall Instructor. I always thought it was some cool shit to do, but after hearing operators talk about how coveted and difficult THIS badge is…I have a whole new respect and admiration. Shoutout to Uncle Chuck….Wurrrrrrrrd!
This guy does a fabulous job with these Coffee Or Die videos. I see one, I click. This one didn't disappoint. From the look of his badges, the Army Major instructor was the most qualified free fall dude I've seen.
From top to bottom it was the Combat Infantry Badge, Military Freefall Jumpmaster Wings, Master Airborne Wings, Air Assault Badge, and Pathfinder Badge.
@@sherbaum1985 Yeah you nailed all the badges. I didn’t know there was a Master Airborne one. I omitted that one from list. Is he in SF or Ranger Batt at least? Cause a officer rarely gets to go to these types of schools or attend these types of courses had he not been part of these sorts of units or regiments ?
I was "only" 82nd with static line jumps. Oh to be young again and have the opportunity to do this. But these guys make me so proud! Thank you for bringing this up-lifting (no pun intended) content!
Absolutely an awesome production! Brings back hundreds of memories. I had the honor of being a USAF Instructor Jump Master/Freefall Instructor at the USAF Academy 1973-76. Did lots of training at Marana Air Park, AZ--Not too far from Yuma & Yeah, those early morning Arizona Sunrise jumps were breathtakingly spetacular! One time, the plane made 3 passes without anybody jumping or dropping a WDI. The entire load fell asleep on the way up! The pilot had to "Zero G" the plane to wake someone up! We could have used your coffee back then! The instructor check was, without any doubt, the most stressful check anyone of us ever faced. We had to fit, load, supervise, & drop 6 "Students" (our instructors) If we passed by safely dropping all 6 "Students", we'd also get to jump into the DZ. If not, it was a lloooonnnngggg, quiet, miserable, lonely, airplane ride back to the airstrip with our "Students" glaring at us the whole way back. Nobody EVER passed that first Instructor JM Check! It's great to see how far the programs have come. We would never touch a student in freefall. Only observe & critique on the ground. No vertical wind tunnels in those days...just 10-60 second freefalls up to 10 jumps a day to learn the craft. Those tunnels must be a blast! (pun intended). I can hardly imagine getting a month's worth of freefall time in just a day in a vertical wind tunnel! Great video! Thanks again for bringing back such great memories! Bravo Zulu Lt Col Jet
@@1anre Yep. First, "G" in this case refers to the force of gravity the jumpers felt in relation to the plane. We normally feel around 1 G or one times the force of gravity. To "Zero G" the aircraft, the pilot pushes the yoke or stick foreward pitching the aircraft over. During this maneuver, the jumpers would feel weightless or Zero G, and tend to float around the cabin of the aircraft if not secured by their seatbelts. (The Astronauts trained for weightlessness in a plane they called "the Vomit Comet " that would do this manuver. That tends to wake sleeping jumpers up! One note: This was done with only experienced jumpers on board. I don't think I ever saw any student jumper relaxed enough to fall asleep! Hope this was helpful. Cheers, Lt Col Jet
@@jetdriver1jetdriver194 thanks Lieutenant Colonel. That experience of floating must be surreal. Pilots have a good amount of freedom & options while executing their jobs. It’s always going to be a hard choice to either be a pilot or a Special Operations Force operator, because they have some really interesting opportunities stacked up for each of them.
@@michealtaylor1297 How's to remain excited, motovated, in his retired years ? Would Law Enforcement be an option, or say . . . the civilian option of the Jump community ? 🇺🇸
@@natturner1619 No, he has been an officer since the late 1990s. He attended Georgia Military College for 2 years and finished his degree at I believe at Florida State. He also has a Master's degree. Pardon a parent's pride. As of right now MFFS is his last post before retirement.
Roughly 20 years I stood in a line at the AcFac at Bragg waiting to get my records screened and join the class. It took me 12 years just to get a slot to the school. After my records check passed, they said enter the classroom. It was filled with SF guys like myself (mostly older guys(!) yeah 30+ was old back then), young SEALs, even younger CCT guys, some older Marines. All of us SF guys were looking around with grins on our faces, we'd finally made it. A few years later I make it to MFFJM and passed JMPI on the pretest. I went with two other guys from my team, they all made it too. I think we broke the record for the most guys from one team passing JM in the same class. I watched the video with a lot of nostalgia, thinking of my SEAL roommate in basic and the bacchanalian weekends we had in Mexico and Yuma, the AF CCT instructor who said to both of us let's do a three-way on our fifth(?) jump because we were flying so well (still remember the screaming of the DZSO "who just did a three-way!!! You better own up to it now! And the CCT just winked at us) the SEAL instructor who gave me blood wings in the JM course. And of course all those great TDY trips doing refreshers on the Team. Civilian life sucks.
One of the best schools I attended in the military. Graduated in 1992 when all the training was conducted at Ft Bragg, NC. No harassment, no grueling PT sessions, no nonsense; just maintain safety standards and focus on perfection. If you could not remain stable in free fall or you Pulled too high or too low you were done.
Did my service 72-76. I like to think I could/would have done anything that was required of me. However, these guys are in another universe of courage. I can only stand in respect and salute.
Hi Dave, Just a text & film clip of my training with the us army & us navy at Key West FL in March, 31, 1964. We called it our “Working Vacation”! We were a bit tired after six weeks of five mile.swims, & ten mile runs on the beach. Five miles running on the beach in the soft sand & five miles thru Key West, FL.. Loved everything involved! Love, Dave
Best of the best them green berets "A symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." -President Kennedy on the Green Berets, April 11, 1962
I want to say thank you to all the service men and women in all of the services thank you for all u have done for the freedom of North America.. I'm from Canada and I'm a vet
Attended the Fort Bragg version of this course back in 1989. It's very scary packing your own shoot when you're 19 and clueless. Thanks for the quality of this production.
Attended the MFF Course at Fort Bragg in 1976, long before Wind Tunnels and only instructors were allowed to jump what was referred to then as SQUARE Canopy parachutes. My qualifying jumps were done with round canopy with slip risers that were held in place with what we referred to as tuning forks. Once under canopy, we removed the tuning forks and could manipulate the risers but in truth we had little control over the canopy. When we transitioned to the square canopy (referred to then as the seven cell) we were first pulled behind a truck on Sicily Drop Zone under an inflated canopy to demonstrate we could control the parachute. I later completed the MFF Jump Master course and by the time I retired had logged almost 300 jumps. I just turned 64 and have to say most mornings I feel everyone of those rough landings, but if I had a do over, I wouldn't change a thing and often think fondly of the insane things we did. My wife of 38-years remembers my teammates bringing me home with bruised ribs, twisted knees, cuts and gashes from the inevitable pitch black tree landing miles from the Drop Zone. Great times
Great video. Things sure have changed since I graduated HALO School at Ft. Bragg in '67. Some of those early instructors in that group of 850 dating back to 1962 were my instructors. Most fun I had in the military.
@@DS-wo5hd The equipment and terrain. The parachutes and uniforms have changed greatly. As for the terrain, the desert of Yuma is a lot different than the greenery at Ft. Bragg. Also, it's good to see that they jump more now in school. We only needed 20 or more (my class completed 21) jumps to qualify. Not nearly enough in my opinion.
I enjoyed skydiving in daylight in my youth; it's a blast. Getting off the static line and learning to pack my own chute was an accomplishment for me. I cannot imagine how dangerous and how difficult night jumps would be. That's gotta be infinitely more dangerous and difficult. Hats off to the folks that do this for God and country.
It was good of the school to let you in to film and you did a great job in filming and editing of showing how skilled and professional these guys are, Great and inspiring content, well done!
@@danielwyates1453 it's not something u can just join. U need to be in a military freefall coded position or units, otherwise u are almost never gonna have a slot.
My Dad was in the 1st SF...WW11-Korea-and Vietnam Vet who retired as a Halo Instructor... He was Military all the way until his passing from that "Agent Orange" crap...Great Man who i miss dearly....
@@Amazonuser1717 As a Master Diver and CCR diver... I can guarantee you there are no secret tactics when it comes to diving. Diving is diving bro. I'm likely just as qualified as a diver than most of the instructors. The only difference is the military tactics used, not the actual diving tactics. CCR diving was born out of the Navy but the civilian market for CCR diving is way more advanced.
Jesus Christ this video is outstanding! Seriously excellent work from all production standpoints! And I haven't even talked about the outstanding people and things they do IN this video yet, which is such a fantastic sight! Everything about this video had me glued to the computer screen from start to finish! I can't even tell you the last movie or TV show I watched that had me this engrossed!
I'm going to offer a brief tribute to my West Point Class of 1978 classmate Frank Austin Hardy, who died on 25 March 1981, while attending the US Army Special Forces Freefall Training School, held in those days at Ft. Bragg, NC. Frank was jumping a Dragon anti-tank missile, and it somehow got tangled up with his parachute when it deployed during his jump, and he basically "burned in" without an open chute. We had attended (and graduated from) US Army Ranger School together, and we had served together in the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, before Frank went on to Special Forces. At West Point, we had discovered that we had attended First Grade together in 1962-63, at Mulberry Elementary School in Richmond (Henrico Country) Virginia! Frank was a great athlete. I attended his funeral in Virginia, and - I will always miss him. RLTW Frank!!!!
Maybeury Elementary School on Forest Ave? That is right down the street from where I am typing this right now. Best wishes from Henrico County. Thank you for your service.
23rd, jump, I had my chute stovepipe about tree top level. Teh LZ was on the other side of a lake and a few miles away from where we left the plane. Little to say, 2 ft of water and some mud allowed me to walk away, maybe now well
I have experienced difficulty in getting a hold of the rip cord on several jumps. I struggled with staying stable but of course once the rig was out of the pack things went well. After passing through age 71 I had to give this great outdoor adventure away, I had trouble flaring the canopy too high and of course the ground tends to eat people who do that. The 193 in my log book was still good memories. Thank you for this video.
This was a cool vid, its been awhile since I thought about this. Ret. 1st Group guy. I had the pleasure and honor of having Frank (Frances) Norbury as my Basic and advanced instructor in the 80s. Remember table drills and the Halo shack on smoke bomb hill. School and equipment was not very high tech like it is to day. I still have a set of old goggles of thin plastic with bungie cord. Helmets were soft black leather and a yellow jump suit for basic. It has come a long way. Wind tunnel was at Wright Pat and all else was at Bragg.
In '67 I had some time and a few choices before deployment. HALO, SF Scuba, or Ranger class. I took Scuba. But while in Vietnam '68, one of our guys was training for a one man mission in to a critical/terrible target. I have to assume it had to be HALO. I never heard if that mission went live. Comparing the gear and training changes I saw in Scuba, all these courses are like flintlocks vs miniguns evolution. High praise to those who try, those who succeed, and those who teach.
So much respect for these military guys that pass this school. I know some guys don't make it through. Jumping from 25,000 feet with 80lbs of gear and staying stable is incredible for these to do guys. Just think if you are a tier one operator this one of several schools they must pass. Just amazing we have the best operators in world in our I have so much respect for these individuals!!!!!
pretty cool they each have an instructor w/ them on their 1st couple of jumps to watch them & make sure they do all the right moves because their landings have to be so precise. its so much more involved than a civilian realizes.
He (the "cameraman") is an instructor. Everyone you saw jumping with the orange suits had at least one instructor jumping with them and then they use the video they take to debrief the trainee later. They did not make that very clear. You do not throw someone out of a plane into free fall first time without 2 instructors looking after them. After 1 or 2 jumps you cut it to 1.
That was an epic one guys. I had every reason to listen intently. My father Terry Jickells was 22 SAS for 22 years and they called him 'Jump Master Jick.' He was well versed in all these advanced techniques and had some kit, which we would play with as kids at home. Thanks for sharing - that was a help. Mark UK
Freakin Awesome! I'm an Airborne veteran with only 13 Jumps. I remember Every single one! A back injury ended my Army Career July 3rd 1993 and it depresses me every time I think about it. I was a Lifer and it got cut short at 8 years 8 months 😣
I graduated MFF Feb 1978 and MFF JM 1987. I spent 13 years on SF HALO teams in 5th and 7th Special Forces Groups and had 1 real, no kidding infil (I was JM) into bad guy country to set up a drop zone for a host country counter-guerrilla airborne operation. It was never officially acknowledged as a combat jump (we never asked) but we didn't have anyone waiting on the DZ, live ammo, and real bad guys. It was primo!! Don't let anyone fool you, HALO and HAHO isn't skydiving! DOL! #formeractionguy
I love these videos that show the military schools. I always assumed that military training involved a lot of yelling, but I'm learning there is a lot of education too
If you attend any recruitment training for a Special Operations unit, they won't tell at you for your mistakes. They'll just simply show you once and if you fail the second time, they will simply just fail you. Yelling is just a waste of time.
Nah only basic training where all the fresh new recruits come in has yelling. All these specialized schools would rather teach u some really cool and important stuff rather than yelling.
Great presentation, excellent music choices, excellent production, the end sequence gave me that wonderful feeling you get working with military professionals....
Thanks for the insight of what these guys go thru. There is no doubt, that these are some of the best of the best. Appreciate their service, and dedication. 🇺🇸
Well done, fellas! Nice to see we've moved from spring loaded pilot chutes to throw-out rigs. The "Uff!" at the opening was an indicator that this wasn't going to be a fluff-hype video. Thanks.
These courses have changed so much since the early 80s. I would love to sit in on the classes of today compared to when I went through similar courses! #RLTW 🇺🇲🇺🇲
@@dallasyap3064 I wouldn't know, I was in 79-87. When I watch these military channels I don't recognize most of what they talk about. I have had some serious head trauma and my memory is just bad!
@@sugewhitejacoby8654 well when it comes to these highly specialized schools, Rangers (from last time till now) don't get much slots. Except for RRC operators. Rangers are great and badasses but unfortunately they don't have priority in these schools.
I graduated Military Free Fall School in 1986 when the school was located at Ft. Bragg. Today's students appear to be missing out on the joys crashing through a North Carolina pine tree, at Camp McCall when the Jumpmaster screws up.
@@dallasyap3064 Yes, but even the MT1-X Ramair 7-cell parachute cannot overcome being dropped downwind of the DZ. You try to find a clearing, of course, but you are at the mercy of the wind.
What an amazing documentary It’s all bout keeping everyone Safe When Parachuting in the skies All I can say is, I’m ‘Proud’ of these Free Fall Parachute Instructors For the Professionalism they showed throughout this video Thank you Michael
I loved your video! One recommendation: I wish you would have taken the time to point out all the various parts of the equipment. Like I was not sure where the main ripcord was. I figure you jump with two chutes, but I'm not sure. I'm 80 now, but in 1959-1961 I was 19 and a Smokejumper for the US Forest Service. We jumped out of Cave Junction, Oregon into the big timber about half of the jumps I made I never hit the ground. We had to repel out of the trees to the ground below. Then put the fire out. I envy all of you. What great new wonderful advanced equipment. Also, the training looked fantastic. Keep up the good work of protecting America! Just a final note: My boss and Project Air Officer in Cave Junction jumped in the Normandy invasion in WWII. Thanks, Glen
Smoke jumpers need bigger parachutes... to be able to cope with the size of their balls! That takes a lot of guts to jump into or around a raging forest fire. Cudos.
Oh Man! Smokejumpers are a breed that stand alone! I toured a Smokejumpers Base in Cambridge Idaho and I thought I was a badass skydiver until I watched videos of them jumping into a wilderness that was on fire!
Awesome job capturing this. Great shots. Excellent editing. Thanks for letting us in on such a special and important piece of training and for somehow making YPG not look like crap:)
Don't forget to like the video, and hit subscribe - we have more awesome content coming!
Coffee or Die the instructors there are so amazing! So good!
Coffee or Die what’s the name of the song at the end of the video?
@kyle although I’ve done more than a few static line lumps back in my army days, I was unable to secure a free fall jump while shooting this story. Being a civilian now is nice, but it does have its drawbacks! -Marty
Coffee or die Hey! Where have you been?! I Was waiting you
I forgot, because-- it's another countries-- already-- grammar data cells-- CO-V-ID Swedish submariners-- and ID=IT--Caught you.
Thanks to Coffee or Die for being a great supporter of USAJFKSWCS and for taking the time to come visit and share the great things happening at the Military Free Fall School!
Thanks for having us out! What an awesome school!
Can Rangers from the 75th go to MFF?
Great collaborative effort!
Hey guys. Im a (Army) iraq combat vet. Y'all have always been my hero's. From basic in 2004 until my ETS in 2013 ive always looked up to the SF community. I never took that step to attempt SF. But even in Iraq I looked up to you guys. Thank you for all you do and have done. I was field artillery and a grunt, never near tear 1, but the SF community was always good to me. My wife, kids and I rest easy at night knowing youre on watch. Today I still serve by helping veterans from tear 1 to grunt that are suffering with PTSD, addictions and more. We love and pray for y'all daily. Thank you again for all y'all do. If there is any way I could get like some autographed posters or pictures of what y'all do, if it's even possible for my kids, i would do anything. Stay safe silver wings. God bless ya'll. Stay in the fight guys.
roger cross send me a message on FB, we’ll get some swag out to you!
I served my country well and faithfully for 15 years but never did anything like this. I sleep so well at night knowing there's people willing to do this. So much respect. God bless you all!
Freefall was pretty cool
your kabalist satanist goverment used you for a killer and you killed many innocent people. and satanist goverment throw like a rubbish after your service. you do not be stupid. do you?
@@se2881 Happy Veterans Day!
@@se2881 Cry soyboy
@@SultanofSpeyveryone who serves plays a part, it’s like chess. You can have some pawns, but you need the whole table to make it truly work.
Jesus, I went through this school in 2006. I am just blown away by the level of sincerity behind the production level of this video. It brought me to tears. Thank you for giving us so much respect. It just isn’t always easy to feel that after you come home. Bravo on the beauty and commitment you so obviously put into this video. As a vet it is so easy to feel forgotten. But to see what you put into this really warms my heart. Because so many people seem to forget about us after we come home.
I'm a 83 year old farmer sergeant Army paratrooper. I swell with pride to see how far we have come with military parachutes.
First jump: Fear of the unknown. Second jump: Fear of the known!
lololol know what you mean.
@Sean Watson exactly
Yes sir, exactly.
😂😂👍👍🙈
Retired rigger. 32 years of service. Loved every second of it. USAF CSAR. I loved packing and jumping squares.
Proud to have lived here while my dad was a military free fall instructor / jump master during 1998-2003. He definitely misses it. He said it was one of the best times of his military career.
your dad trained modern day angels
Being a free fall instructor is definitely fun.
Our military is second to none, bad-asses. Thank you all for your selfless service. My pop died 14 yrs ago, was a Navy man in the South Pacific during WWII. Much respect to all who serve.
cringe
@@carminemartino1197 yep you made me
@@carminemartino1197 nice video games though kid
Nope.
Rest in peace , Rest in paradise
I would choose to spend a day drinking beer and playing golf with any of these guys over a celebrity or super star athlete.
I have to agree with you. They are the real super stars......but I ain't gonna jump.
Play golf? All the ones I seen. The women were buck naked. Driving golf carts..Every time some one said give me my 3 wood. I would tell them. Only wood I got was in my pants.
Master Chief 00117
SFOS
Same
because they soo down to earth
I got put on a detail while waiting for Airborne school to start to be the "training dummie" for some Ranger guys to practice their JMPI before their qualification test or something. I was with them for a week and it was absurd the amount of different details they had to know and the speed at which they had to do it. We literally did check after check after check for an entire week straight, and theres no telling how many times they did that before me. We practiced so much that i even memorized the steps. Its easy for people to overlook all the different skillsets these guys have, and what seems like a "simple check of gear" is actually a LOT of different things they need to know. It looks easy because they are so good at it they make it easy. The amount of practice and time they put into learning this stuff, and the knowledge these guys have is incredible.
"If it ain't raining we ain't training"! Lol Yea we were always training in the Army and I was just an M1A1/2 Abrams Tanker in Regular Army not SF! Especially since 9/11 these SF guys have pretty much been going nonstop and it's either they're deployed or they're training in preparation for their upcoming deployment!
@@kevinkelly5569 AB SU F#@KIN LOOTLY!!! = ABSOLUTELY KOO
So did you make it through and go out to the Bats or an ODA there Trooper?
Doesn't matter how many times you do it, never rush the checks as you'll miss things.... like the instructor getting on the plane without his leg straps done up (the very last shot of the guys getting on the plane silhouetted). Very naughty
The combat diver course and this is the two most Impressive instructor badges I think the special forces wear
It’s funny though, we hardly wore our badges, it was only until our sewn in badges were authorized that we got them sewn in..such a pain having to pin them onto our acus
Chris S : As An Honorably Discharged Regular Component USMC Infantry Rifleman ( PMOS 0311) And Reconnaissance Marine ( SMOS 0321), I've Had The Professional Privilege Of Working With The Operators And Shooters Of The United States Army Special Forces And I'll Concur With You That The MFF School And The Army's Combatant Diver 🏫 In Key West, Florida Is The Most Demanding But Most Rewarding Of Professional Military Education Ever. P.S. , The Insignia Is Earned And Never Given. Mucho Respect To The Army Special Forces. SEMPER FIDELIS SPIRITUS INVICTUS. Take Care.
Scuba bubble is physically far more tough
@@MartinRodriguez-ox7vh shut up ur niether.
@@howulikedemrice : I'm Sorry: Neither What ???!!!
Second jump was my scariest. First one you have no idea what to expect, second one is I’m doing this again ? Third one is great 👍
I used to skydive, and after that 1st jump was just a test, they hold the Lolly pop while u climb out on wing strut, then Jusy let go and deploy, then they guide us n, after that completed 152 jumps it became a rush for more, even did a low at pull, got in trouble over that one, cause u know its considered a dead man's pull, but after my team crashed yrs ago on way to pik me up for a sunset jump,i gave it up,just don't lose ur altitude awareness while having fun on ur freefall
Its the rush, adrenaline , I've done 156 jumps just skydiving, lost my team thou in plane crash 20 yrs ago hear in Missouri, I was supposed to do video that day but had,to work,sucks,that wasn't there, guess had angle,looking over me,also pact mu own chute,nothing like,falling,at 150 or more mph freefall, low ever pulled was 1000ft, a u know is,what they call a dead man's pull,
@@raymondward8932 No offense, but imma call BS on pulling at 1,000’. As a skydiver myself, even I know that it takes at least 1,000’ for a canopy to open. Factor in the chances of having a malfunction at 1,000’ and it’s a wrap for you. The lowest C and D licensed skydivers are allowed to pull by USPA is 2,500’ AGL. Unless you live somewhere like Russia, ain’t no way…. Also you need a MINIMUM of at least 200 jumps in order to start jumping with a camera, per USPA. I have 350ish (and still a newbie in skydiver numbers) and even I only started jumping with a camera around 230ish.
100% agree, I was the same, I could never look down until I’ve launched out of the aircraft. 🙈😩
Dope comment. My uncle is a now retired Military Freefall Instructor. I always thought it was some cool shit to do, but after hearing operators talk about how coveted and difficult THIS badge is…I have a whole new respect and admiration. Shoutout to Uncle Chuck….Wurrrrrrrrd!
This guy does a fabulous job with these Coffee Or Die videos. I see one, I click.
This one didn't disappoint. From the look of his badges, the Army Major instructor was the most qualified free fall dude I've seen.
na just regular jump instructor badge plus, Mil Freefall Instructor/ Halo and I think Pathfinder
From top to bottom it was the Combat Infantry Badge, Military Freefall Jumpmaster Wings, Master Airborne Wings, Air Assault Badge, and Pathfinder Badge.
@@sherbaum1985 Yeah you nailed all the badges. I didn’t know there was a Master Airborne one. I omitted that one from list.
Is he in SF or Ranger Batt at least? Cause a officer rarely gets to go to these types of schools or attend these types of courses had he not been part of these sorts of units or regiments ?
I was "only" 82nd with static line jumps. Oh to be young again and have the opportunity to do this. But these guys make me so proud! Thank you for bringing this up-lifting (no pun intended) content!
Prior military free fall family…they are working so hard and do not recognize so much..
Thank you guys!
Absolutely an awesome production! Brings back hundreds of memories. I had the honor of being a USAF Instructor Jump Master/Freefall Instructor at the USAF Academy 1973-76. Did lots of training at Marana Air Park, AZ--Not too far from Yuma & Yeah, those early morning Arizona Sunrise jumps were breathtakingly spetacular! One time, the plane made 3 passes without anybody jumping or dropping a WDI. The entire load fell asleep on the way up! The pilot had to "Zero G" the plane to wake someone up! We could have used your coffee back then!
The instructor check was, without any doubt, the most stressful check anyone of us ever faced. We had to fit, load, supervise, & drop 6 "Students" (our instructors) If we passed by safely dropping all 6 "Students", we'd also get to jump into the DZ. If not, it was a lloooonnnngggg, quiet, miserable, lonely, airplane ride back to the airstrip with our "Students" glaring at us the whole way back. Nobody EVER passed that first Instructor JM Check!
It's great to see how far the programs have come. We would never touch a student in freefall. Only observe & critique on the ground. No vertical wind tunnels in those days...just 10-60 second freefalls up to 10 jumps a day to learn the craft. Those tunnels must be a blast! (pun intended). I can hardly imagine getting a month's worth of freefall time in just a day in a vertical wind tunnel!
Great video! Thanks again for bringing back such great memories!
Bravo Zulu
Lt Col Jet
Could you explain this “Zero G” Procedure the pilot had to deploy when all the instructors and students slept up during the plane’s climb ?
@@1anre Yep. First, "G" in this case refers to the force of gravity the jumpers felt in relation to the plane. We normally feel around 1 G or one times the force of gravity. To "Zero G" the aircraft, the pilot pushes the yoke or stick foreward pitching the aircraft over. During this maneuver, the jumpers would feel weightless or Zero G, and tend to float around the cabin of the aircraft if not secured by their seatbelts. (The Astronauts trained for weightlessness in a plane they called "the Vomit Comet " that would do this manuver. That tends to wake sleeping jumpers up!
One note: This was done with only experienced jumpers on board. I don't think I ever saw any student jumper relaxed enough to fall asleep!
Hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
Lt Col Jet
@@jetdriver1jetdriver194 thanks Lieutenant Colonel. That experience of floating must be surreal.
Pilots have a good amount of freedom & options while executing their jobs.
It’s always going to be a hard choice to either be a pilot or a Special Operations Force operator, because they have some really interesting opportunities stacked up for each of them.
My son is a free fall instructor there now. What a job he has.
Running out of space for swag on Maj. Taylor's uniform.
A G You should see his dress uniform. Major Taylor is one of my sons. He has 23+ years and is close to retirement.
@@michealtaylor1297 Florida misses him
@@michealtaylor1297 How's to remain excited, motovated, in his retired years ? Would Law Enforcement be an option, or say . . . the civilian option of the Jump community ? 🇺🇸
@@michealtaylor1297 Was he prior enlisted?
@@natturner1619 No, he has been an officer since the late 1990s. He attended Georgia Military College for 2 years and finished his degree at I believe at Florida State. He also has a Master's degree. Pardon a parent's pride. As of right now MFFS is his last post before retirement.
Roughly 20 years I stood in a line at the AcFac at Bragg waiting to get my records screened and join the class. It took me 12 years just to get a slot to the school. After my records check passed, they said enter the classroom. It was filled with SF guys like myself (mostly older guys(!) yeah 30+ was old back then), young SEALs, even younger CCT guys, some older Marines. All of us SF guys were looking around with grins on our faces, we'd finally made it. A few years later I make it to MFFJM and passed JMPI on the pretest. I went with two other guys from my team, they all made it too. I think we broke the record for the most guys from one team passing JM in the same class.
I watched the video with a lot of nostalgia, thinking of my SEAL roommate in basic and the bacchanalian weekends we had in Mexico and Yuma, the AF CCT instructor who said to both of us let's do a three-way on our fifth(?) jump because we were flying so well (still remember the screaming of the DZSO "who just did a three-way!!! You better own up to it now! And the CCT just winked at us) the SEAL instructor who gave me blood wings in the JM course. And of course all those great TDY trips doing refreshers on the Team.
Civilian life sucks.
Army Artillery Veteran here, thanks every Veteran for their service 👍🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
One of the best schools I attended in the military. Graduated in 1992 when all the training was conducted at Ft Bragg, NC. No harassment, no grueling PT sessions, no nonsense; just maintain safety standards and focus on perfection. If you could not remain stable in free fall or you Pulled too high or too low you were done.
Thank you , Sirs!
We are Army Mom and Dad
We appreciate all you do,
Thank you for your service!
We really enjoy your Channel!
I'm a Vietnam vet and I needed to do that to get my wings in the room place but you guys are the best in the world I'm proud of you guys.
Did my service 72-76. I like to think I could/would have done anything that was required of me. However, these guys are in another universe of courage. I can only stand in respect and salute.
Hi Dave,
Just a text & film clip of my training with the us army & us navy at Key West FL in March, 31, 1964.
We called it our “Working Vacation”! We were a bit tired after six weeks of five mile.swims, & ten mile runs on the beach. Five miles running on the beach in the soft sand & five miles thru Key West, FL..
Loved everything involved!
Love,
Dave
Best of the best them green berets "A symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." -President Kennedy on the Green Berets, April 11, 1962
Don't seem all that free after all.
Do we?
@@catonsvilleman6900 you do you guys just don't Embrace it
@@catonsvilleman6900 Your as free as what your willingly to die for my friend.
I want to say thank you to all the service men and women in all of the services thank you for all u have done for the freedom of North America.. I'm from Canada and I'm a vet
Absolutely wonderful! My MOS changed and I desperately waited for this program. Told me too old but jump privately now
Attended the Fort Bragg version of this course back in 1989. It's very scary packing your own shoot when you're 19 and clueless. Thanks for the quality of this production.
Man, a lot has changed in 20+ years, but not everything. Way to keep it alive Brothers!
Congo - MFFI336
Have you worked with Air Force PJ's? what was there mission like?
The editing of this video is top notch.
Attended the MFF Course at Fort Bragg in 1976, long before Wind Tunnels and only instructors were allowed to jump what was referred to then as SQUARE Canopy parachutes. My qualifying jumps were done with round canopy with slip risers that were held in place with what we referred to as tuning forks. Once under canopy, we removed the tuning forks and could manipulate the risers but in truth we had little control over the canopy. When we transitioned to the square canopy (referred to then as the seven cell) we were first pulled behind a truck on Sicily Drop Zone under an inflated canopy to demonstrate we could control the parachute. I later completed the MFF Jump Master course and by the time I retired had logged almost 300 jumps. I just turned 64 and have to say most mornings I feel everyone of those rough landings, but if I had a do over, I wouldn't change a thing and often think fondly of the insane things we did. My wife of 38-years remembers my teammates bringing me home with bruised ribs, twisted knees, cuts and gashes from the inevitable pitch black tree landing miles from the Drop Zone. Great times
Great group of men, i enjoyed my time being a part of the committee. Video was done awesome, and well put together. MFFI Rule.
Proud to say I married one. So proud of him and the teams and family....
I honor our son.
Great video. Things sure have changed since I graduated HALO School at Ft. Bragg in '67. Some of those early instructors in that group of 850 dating back to 1962 were my instructors. Most fun I had in the military.
What are some of the differences that you see?
@@DS-wo5hd The equipment and terrain. The parachutes and uniforms have changed greatly. As for the terrain, the desert of Yuma is a lot different than the greenery at Ft. Bragg. Also, it's good to see that they jump more now in school. We only needed 20 or more (my class completed 21) jumps to qualify. Not nearly enough in my opinion.
This is the best overall video I have seen on this subject. Well done.
Thanks you for your service and thank you for making our nation strong and you are god’s people
I enjoyed skydiving in daylight in my youth; it's a blast. Getting off the static line and learning to pack my own chute was an accomplishment for me. I cannot imagine how dangerous and how difficult night jumps would be. That's gotta be infinitely more dangerous and difficult. Hats off to the folks that do this for God and country.
It was good of the school to let you in to film and you did a great job in filming and editing of showing how skilled and professional these guys are, Great and inspiring content, well done!
Great look at the school and application of MFF in combat environment. Marty, we gotta work on those tunnel skills, hit us up for some lessons!
Thank you for what you guys do
This is the most badass thing I’ve ever watched on RUclips hands down.
You can join them by simply volunteering.
@@danielwyates1453 I’m already in the marine corps bud 😂
@@danielwyates1453 it's not something u can just join. U need to be in a military freefall coded position or units, otherwise u are almost never gonna have a slot.
My Dad was in the 1st SF...WW11-Korea-and Vietnam Vet who retired as a Halo Instructor... He was Military all the way until his passing from that "Agent Orange" crap...Great Man who i miss dearly....
Hands down, without a doubt, MFFC(B) and MFFC(I) were the best schools I went to in the military. We had a blast and Yuma is amazing!
Certainly hats off to these boys...
Do a segment on the special forces combat diver course!
Jordan Medina it would be hard because unlike skydiving there are secret tactics and strategies that probably shouldn’t be made public.
@@Amazonuser1717 True bro would be sick though!
@@Amazonuser1717 What makes you think that?
@@Amazonuser1717 As a Master Diver and CCR diver... I can guarantee you there are no secret tactics when it comes to diving. Diving is diving bro. I'm likely just as qualified as a diver than most of the instructors. The only difference is the military tactics used, not the actual diving tactics. CCR diving was born out of the Navy but the civilian market for CCR diving is way more advanced.
Sorry bro dive shed dudes are hardcore but Halo is the show to make. No better hobby in the world and not super super expensive.
Jesus Christ this video is outstanding! Seriously excellent work from all production standpoints! And I haven't even talked about the outstanding people and things they do IN this video yet, which is such a fantastic sight! Everything about this video had me glued to the computer screen from start to finish! I can't even tell you the last movie or TV show I watched that had me this engrossed!
Great video highlighting an elite group! Way to go Marty
These guys are so badass, thank you for this great content! And thank them for their service! God Bless America!
I'm going to offer a brief tribute to my West Point Class of 1978 classmate Frank Austin Hardy, who died on 25 March 1981, while attending the US Army Special Forces Freefall Training School, held in those days at Ft. Bragg, NC. Frank was jumping a Dragon anti-tank missile, and it somehow got tangled up with his parachute when it deployed during his jump, and he basically "burned in" without an open chute. We had attended (and graduated from) US Army Ranger School together, and we had served together in the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, before Frank went on to Special Forces. At West Point, we had discovered that we had attended First Grade together in 1962-63, at Mulberry Elementary School in Richmond (Henrico Country) Virginia! Frank was a great athlete. I attended his funeral in Virginia, and - I will always miss him. RLTW Frank!!!!
Blue Skies, Frank!
My brother was West Point class of 90 :) :) :)
Maybeury Elementary School on Forest Ave? That is right down the street from where I am typing this right now. Best wishes from Henrico County. Thank you for your service.
23rd, jump, I had my chute stovepipe about tree top level. Teh LZ was on the other side of a lake and a few miles away from where we left the plane. Little to say, 2 ft of water and some mud allowed me to walk away, maybe now well
See some cool guys doing some cool guy shit. Hits the nail on the head.
It was just another day at the office...
Thank you for sharing. Thank you all for your service to this great country.
Coffee or die produces the BEST content on the internet! Yall are AWESOME!
@ 19:40
Didn’t know 75th guys did free fall. Maybe the regimental reconnaissance company?
Probably RRC. Cuz regular Rangers rarely get slots at freefall school.
Fantastic, MMPC eluded my enlistment of six years. Very cool
I have experienced difficulty in getting a hold of the rip cord on several jumps. I struggled with staying stable but of course once the rig was out of the pack things went well. After passing through age 71 I had to give this great outdoor adventure away, I had trouble flaring the canopy too high and of course the ground tends to eat people who do that. The 193 in my log book was still good memories. Thank you for this video.
This was a cool vid, its been awhile since I thought about this. Ret. 1st Group guy. I had the pleasure and honor of having Frank (Frances) Norbury as my Basic and advanced instructor in the 80s. Remember table drills and the Halo shack on smoke bomb hill. School and equipment was not very high tech like it is to day. I still have a set of old goggles of thin plastic with bungie cord. Helmets were soft black leather and a yellow jump suit for basic. It has come a long way. Wind tunnel was at Wright Pat and all else was at Bragg.
Yep. These guys are the warriors I wish I could be. Mad props to Coffee Or Die and all the folks at BRCC!!! Gunship is my go to brew.
In '67 I had some time and a few choices before deployment. HALO, SF Scuba, or Ranger class. I took Scuba. But while in Vietnam '68, one of our guys was training for a one man mission in to a critical/terrible target. I have to assume it had to be HALO. I never heard if that mission went live.
Comparing the gear and training changes I saw in Scuba, all these courses are like flintlocks vs miniguns evolution.
High praise to those who try, those who succeed, and those who teach.
So much respect for these military guys that pass this school. I know some guys don't make it through. Jumping from 25,000 feet with 80lbs of gear and staying stable is incredible for these to do guys. Just think if you are a tier one operator this one of several schools they must pass. Just amazing we have the best operators in world in our I have so much respect for these individuals!!!!!
So great that former highly trained military guys make high end productions on highly trained military guys. Keep up the good work!
pretty cool they each have an instructor w/ them on their 1st couple of jumps to watch them & make sure they do all the right moves because their landings have to be so precise. its so much more involved than a civilian realizes.
Notice: The cameraman saved that guy's life because he simply placed that guy's hand and placed it on the shoot trigger for the parachute.
He (the "cameraman") is an instructor. Everyone you saw jumping with the orange suits had at least one instructor jumping with them and then they use the video they take to debrief the trainee later. They did not make that very clear. You do not throw someone out of a plane into free fall first time without 2 instructors looking after them. After 1 or 2 jumps you cut it to 1.
Schnitzel Schnizel he found the trigger by himself but ok
Falloutman 342 no he didn’t
“Trigger” lmao it’s a pilot chute and even if he doesn’t pull it they all have a cypress that will fire and deploy their chute for them
@@Angryheadache yup ADD
That was an epic one guys. I had every reason to listen intently. My father Terry Jickells was 22 SAS for 22 years and they called him 'Jump Master Jick.' He was well versed in all these advanced techniques and had some kit, which we would play with as kids at home. Thanks for sharing - that was a help. Mark UK
Wow , salute to the services rendered by your father. SAS created the operational template for Special Forces of today.
@@nilanjangupta763 Thanks. He was a good man who ran a lot of the training to. Peace.
Freakin Awesome! I'm an Airborne veteran with only 13 Jumps. I remember Every single one! A back injury ended my Army Career July 3rd 1993 and it depresses me every time I think about it. I was a Lifer and it got cut short at 8 years 8 months 😣
I graduated MFF Feb 1978 and MFF JM 1987. I spent 13 years on SF HALO teams in 5th and 7th Special Forces Groups and had 1 real, no kidding infil (I was JM) into bad guy country to set up a drop zone for a host country counter-guerrilla airborne operation. It was never officially acknowledged as a combat jump (we never asked) but we didn't have anyone waiting on the DZ, live ammo, and real bad guys. It was primo!! Don't let anyone fool you, HALO and HAHO isn't skydiving! DOL! #formeractionguy
agree halo and haho is not skydiving. ... visited this base once long ago on joint training venture... ex 148 FOB Commando *Meiktila*.
As an Army Artillery Veteran I like this video 👍🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Best job in the world !!! If your in don't ever get out, I've regretted getting out all my life !!!
That guy that did a hand stand jump out was probably the most badass thing ever
What’s the time stamp for that? I seemed to have missed it.
Marty is the perfect aerodynamic shape.
My younger brother, RIP, was a trained halo jumper.
Angels sent from above.. respect my brothers!! 💪🏼🇺🇸🙏🏻
I love these videos that show the military schools. I always assumed that military training involved a lot of yelling, but I'm learning there is a lot of education too
If you attend any recruitment training for a Special Operations unit, they won't tell at you for your mistakes. They'll just simply show you once and if you fail the second time, they will simply just fail you. Yelling is just a waste of time.
Yelling is a sign of weakness!
Nah only basic training where all the fresh new recruits come in has yelling. All these specialized schools would rather teach u some really cool and important stuff rather than yelling.
This gives me hope in America 🇺🇸. LETS GOOOO BOYS!!!!
When I see a new video pop up and I'm hoping for even more bad-ass content, I'm never disappointed.
Great presentation, excellent music choices, excellent production, the end sequence gave me that wonderful feeling you get working with military professionals....
Thanks for the insight of what these guys go thru. There is no doubt, that these are some of the best of the best. Appreciate their service, and dedication. 🇺🇸
Great video. Best military school I've ever been to
That looks like a completely professional operation. Good on all you guys! D-2 MFF/IE for 23rd AF MTT (Eglin AFB, history past). D-6723.
@Ronald Richards Yes it is. I keep that mounted picture from the front page of the Tucson paper on my wall.
Well done, fellas! Nice to see we've moved from spring loaded pilot chutes to throw-out rigs. The "Uff!" at the opening was an indicator that this wasn't going to be a fluff-hype video. Thanks.
Hell yeah. Keep up the good work.
God bless you all and God bless America. 🇺🇸
These courses have changed so much since the early 80s. I would love to sit in on the classes of today compared to when I went through similar courses! #RLTW 🇺🇲🇺🇲
Well Rangers don't get much slots for this school except for RRC.
@@dallasyap3064 I wouldn't know, I was in 79-87. When I watch these military channels I don't recognize most of what they talk about. I have had some serious head trauma and my memory is just bad!
@@sugewhitejacoby8654 well when it comes to these highly specialized schools, Rangers (from last time till now) don't get much slots. Except for RRC operators. Rangers are great and badasses but unfortunately they don't have priority in these schools.
@@dallasyap3064 I appreciate your knowledge of the subject. Like I said it's been so long.
@@sugewhitejacoby8654 long indeed. Ranger Lead The Way, All The Way!
Much respect for these guys, this make me proud to have served. Ooh Rah brothers
I went to MFF in 1997. We did 1 week at Bragg for pack classes and wind tunnel, then 3 weeks of jumping at YPG.
There's wind tunnel training at Fort Bragg? I thought it's in YPG?
Reminds me of that freefall scene from Sicario part 2. Just bad ass all around, and extremely professional to say the least.
I graduated Military Free Fall School in 1986 when the school was located at Ft. Bragg. Today's students appear to be missing out on the joys crashing through a North Carolina pine tree, at Camp McCall when the Jumpmaster screws up.
It used to be at Bragg? Anyways can't the soldiers steer their chutes to other directions to avoid hitting the trees?
@@dallasyap3064 Yes, but even the MT1-X Ramair 7-cell parachute cannot overcome being dropped downwind of the DZ. You try to find a clearing, of course, but you are at the mercy of the wind.
I am both a graduate and a former worker of that specific business where we trained people to control themselves out of the back of an airplane!
Outstanding job to all who participated in this video!
I’m here at airborne school rn jump Tuesday! So watching this free fall is nuts !! Airborne airborne everyday!
Hope to see you one day. From a 82nd Airborne brother, good luck
One of the best schools I’ve ever been to.
How did you start the whole journey to this school?
I'm Airborne qualified but this...this is my next goal. This is the coolest shit I have ever seen and I hope that I'll get to do it one day
Thanks for the great video with insight on how our military train for these kind of ops.
can I just say.. I love this channel name and its content. That's all.
So good to see Italian C27J flying with SOCOM!
My Instructor # MFFI 235, nice to see the improvements facilities!
What an amazing documentary
It’s all bout keeping everyone Safe
When Parachuting in the skies
All I can say is, I’m ‘Proud’ of these Free Fall Parachute Instructors
For the Professionalism they showed throughout this video
Thank you
Michael
IKIKATA BUDOKAI OGKK United Kingdom is this an email
I loved your video! One recommendation: I wish you would have taken the time to point out all the various parts of the equipment. Like I was not sure where the main ripcord was. I figure you jump with two chutes, but I'm not sure. I'm 80 now, but in 1959-1961 I was 19 and a Smokejumper for the US Forest Service. We jumped out of Cave Junction, Oregon into the big timber about half of the jumps I made I never hit the ground. We had to repel out of the trees to the ground below. Then put the fire out. I envy all of you. What great new wonderful advanced equipment. Also, the training looked fantastic. Keep up the good work of protecting America! Just a final note: My boss and Project Air Officer in Cave Junction jumped in the Normandy invasion in WWII. Thanks, Glen
Smoke jumpers need bigger parachutes... to be able to cope with the size of their balls! That takes a lot of guts to jump into or around a raging forest fire. Cudos.
Oh Man! Smokejumpers are a breed that stand alone! I toured a Smokejumpers Base in Cambridge Idaho and I thought I was a badass skydiver until I watched videos of them jumping into a wilderness that was on fire!
Awesome job capturing this. Great shots. Excellent editing. Thanks for letting us in on such a special and important piece of training and for somehow making YPG not look like crap:)
One of the best courses I have ever been through.