908th Airlift Wing Celebrating 75 Years Of Paratroopers
[gtxvideo vid=”Z4w8Ys2L” playlist=”” pid=”XiOflQdH” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/Z4w8Ys2L.jpg” vtitle=”75th paratroopers”]
For 75 years, the military has been using paratroopers across the globe.
And the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell is helping to celebrate that special anniversary this weekend.
These C-130’s can do a lot of things, including the important task of moving people and equipment around the world.
But Saturday, soldiers will be jumping out of these perfectly good airplanes.
“At Ft. Benning is the basic airborne course, we are the primary customer that the jump school calls on for their training missions. So we’re over there quite frequently taking paratroopers that are training and they’re jumping off our C-130’s platform in their training,” said 908th Wing Commander Col. Pat Brooks.
To help commemorate the anniversary, the 908th is sending two planes to Columbus Georgia to help demonstrate modern jump techniques.
One of those bears the logo of Auburn University.
“The accomplishments and the effects of what paratroopers have had on the country are immeasurable. If you look at our past history and our past wars all the way back to WWII, we owe a great debt of gratitude to our paratroopers,” said Col. Brooks.
One of the first and most notable uses of paratroopers was during the invasion of Normandy in WWII. Even though the jumps didn’t go as planned, the soldiers behind enemy lines played a vital role. Even though that role has changed, they’re still relevant today.
“Depending on the mission across the world, whether it’s humanitarian or a true military mission we always look at the possibilities that are on the table for us. Airborne and paratroopers are definitely part of that equation,” said Col. Brooks.
