PORTFOLIO Accents
H square ip to be
By Rebekah Sanderlin
Soldiers have been dropping from the skies in these parts ever since the first airborne units began training here in 1942. But after more than 50 years of tiny men dangling under mushroom-style canopies, the air above Fort Bragg will soon be filled with soldiers hanging under squares. In December 2009, paratroopers from the 18th Airborne Corps tested new, square-
canopied parachutes called T-11s. So far, the soldiers are happy. “I’m not Fred Astaire, by no means,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Allen of the
18th Airborne Corps, who participated in that initial T-11 jump. “And all my landings are ugly, I can tell you that. But it (the jump) was pretty good. Actually this was the first time that I didn’t actually hurt my knee or legs jumping in about three years. So I was proud of it. I’m sold on it, that’s for sure.” In the years since soldiers began jumping out of planes, paratroopers and their
gear have gotten bigger and heavier, and that means they hit the ground harder and faster than they used to. Paratroopers of old and their gear weighed about 300 pounds
altogether. Nowadays, that average weight is edging closer to 400 pounds. The
square-styling of the T-11 parachute slows the rate of descent, resulting in a softer landing and – most
important – about 70 percent fewer injuries. Despite the warm response the T-11 parachutes have been getting from soldiers, the
switch isn’t going to happen right away. The 18th Airborne Corps expects to receive 4,000 of the new parachutes late in 2010 and plans to have 14,000 square chutes by 2015, when the old T-10 chute is scheduled to be completely phased out. “This is just another indication of what our Army is doing for us,” said Lt. Gen. Frank
Helmick, 18th Airborne Corps commander, “giving us the absolute best equipment we need to accomplish the job.”
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