Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 4-10, 2021 UCW 13 COVER KEYURI PARAB, Editorial Assistant COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. National Airborne Day celebrates legacy of elite paratroopers by KEYURI PARAB Fort Bragg will celebrate National Airborne Day on Aug. 14 at the Airborne and Special Opera- tions Museum located in downtown Fayetteville. e annual gathering brings together current and former soldiers to honor the legacy of courage and excellence synonymous with the American paratrooper. "e annual celebration honors the first official military parachute jump by the U.S. Army on Aug. 16, 1940," said Elvia Kelly, Fort Bragg garrison spokeswoman. "Every year, Fort Bragg comes together to bring history to the forefront through a variety of ways, including parachute demonstra- tions by the U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S. Army Special Operations Black Daggers." e family-friendly event will begin at 8 a.m. and finish around noon. e public is invited to attend the free event to learn more about paratroopers and the mission of the 82nd Airborne Division that calls Fort Bragg home. "Visitors can expect a display of multiple weap- ons systems from the 82nd Airborne Division and other supporting units, a parachute demonstration from the U.S. Army Special Operations Para- chute Team Black Daggers, the U.S. Army Golden Knights performing a High-Altitude Low Opening (HALO) demo jump and displays inside of the mu- seum for the community to enjoy," Kelly said. e schedule includes parachute packing and mock door demonstrations, Black Dagger free fall and secure LZ demo at 11:45 a.m. and a Golden Knights free fall and demo at noon. e 82nd Airborne Division "All American" Rock Band and Quintet will perform live music through- out the event. e celebration will have a food truck and an ice cream truck on site and bottled water will be available. "When we observe National Airborne Day, we're commemorating a segment of history that highlights the first successful military parachute jump in 1940," Kelly said. "It's a significant point in Army history contributing to Fort Bragg becoming the home of the airborne, a culminating event in which the surrounding community can celebrate with us." In 1940, a test platoon of volunteers from the 29th Infantry Regiment made the first U.S. Army parachute jump from an aircraft. Since that first jump, airborne soldiers have shared a distin- guished tradition as elite units setting an example of determination and courage. National Airborne Day is also a time to recognize the vigorous training of airborne soldiers and units in the Army. e Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, teaches soldiers the techniques involved in parachuting from aircraft and landing safely. e Jumpmaster School trains personnel in the skills necessary to jumpmaster a combat- equipped jump which means ensuring other soldiers' parachutes and equipment are correct. A jumpmaster is also trained in procedures for rig- ging equipment containers and door bundles. e Military Free Fall School at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, is part of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School on Fort Bragg. e joint forces school trains all aspects of free fall para- chuting and the use of high altitude-low opening (HALO) and high altitude-high opening (HAHO) parachuting techniques. U.S. paratroopers in this file photo take part in the invasion of Sicily, code-named Op- eration Husky, in July 1943. Lessons learned from the campaign proved invaluable to future airborne operations in World War II. Paratroopers board a C-17 Globemaster III on Fort Bragg on April 13. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Hannah Strobel) Special Operations soldiers conduct free fall training in the sky above Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. (File photo courtesy JFK Special Warfare Center and School) Paratroopers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Air- borne Division, descend during an airborne operation on Fort Bragg June 30. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Lee Antreas) First Sgt. Adam Barfield, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, awaits his jumpmaster inspec- tion before boarding an aircraft on Fort Bragg June 30. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Lee Antreas)