A U.S. soldier parachutes off a C-130 Hercules over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen did a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
U.S. forces along with German, Italian, Belgium and Dutch army parachute over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
U.S. forces along with four NATO countries parachute over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
A U.S. Soldier parachutes over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Col. Timothy Brown parachutes out of a C-130 Hercules over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. Colonel Brown is the 86th Contingency Response Group commander. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Army Pvt. Chayenne Kodiak (left) and Army Spc. Eric Meneses rig parachutes for future use Aug. 13 at Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
German army soldier Christian Schlueter lands after parachuting out of a C-130 Hercules on the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Staff Sgt. Joseph Klimaski walks off the field with German soldiers after landing at the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. Sergeant Klimaski is assigned to the 435th Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
German Army soldier Christian Schlueter parachutes onto the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
U.S. forces along with German, Italian, Belgium and Dutch armies march back after landing at the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne jump with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Italian army soldier Giovanni Cacciari lands after parachuting out of a C-130 Hercules at the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
U.S. forces along with German, Italian, Belgium and Dutch army parachute over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
Italian Army soldier Giovanni Cacciari packs his parachute after landing Aug. 13 at the Bunker drop zone in southwestern Germany. U.S. soldiers and Airmen did a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries. German, Italian, Belgium, and Dutch Armies attended the airborne drop officially called International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
U.S. forces along with German, Italian, Belgium and Dutch armies land on the ground after parachuting over the Bunker drop zone Aug. 13 in southwestern Germany. U.S. Soldiers and Airmen performed a combined airborne drop with four other NATO countries during International Jump Week. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)
by Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
8/20/2009 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- Five NATO countries including Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States participated in airborne jump operations during International Jump Week Aug. 9 thru 14.
Parachuting out of the back of a C-130 Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron here, more than 250 paratroopers guided their chutes toward a small bunker drop zone in southwestern Germany, including Airmen from the newly formed 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, 28 from the 435th Contingency Response Group and 11 from the 4th Air Support Operations Squadron.
"This jump provided such a beautiful opportunity for us all to get together, get some training and jump from the same aircraft," said Italian army Sgt. Marco Solaroli. "We have received great training from the jumpmasters here. It has been an honor to participate in this."
With the success of this year's jump week, the 435th CRG staff decided to make this a yearly event to build confidence and relations among the NATO allies.
"It's simply awesome just to meet new people, foreign jumpers and airborne members," said Airman 1st Class Jerome Williams, a member of the tactical air control party from the 2nd Air Support Operations Squadron.
"It's been an interesting two days," said Col. Timothy Brown, the 435th CRG commander and one of the Airmen who participated in the jump. "Today many U.S. troopers jumped under the command of the German jumpmasters, and 30 were commanded by Italian jumpmasters. It's not just the interoperability between U.S. forces and other countries, but all the countries involved as well."
Comments
8/22/2009 2:35:37 AM ET It was a wonderful week thank you very much for everything.
