While I never fell for the "canopy light" errands, myself, I did wind up paying dues. Jump school consiseds of 5 jumps ~ way back when. After graduation, I was sent to the 2/505th 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Jump 6 is considered the "cherry" jump.
My cherry jump started that day with many "
veterans" (guys with more than 6 jumps :D ) trying to send me on the foolish errands. It didn't work, but other things that played out contributed to their enjoyment at my expense.
- My cherry jump was to be a night jump ~ true
- With full equipment ~ true
- I was assigned to jump with the M-60 machine gun by the platoon sergeant ~ true
- I was sent to supply to get the Griswald container to hold the gun ~ true
- I thought the guys were messing with me when they told me to make sure I got the lowering line for the Griswald container, so I didn't ask for it at the supply room. ~ true
- The lowering line was needed to keep from breaking a leg trying to do a PLF (parachute landing fall) with a machine gun strapped to your side. ~ true
- I was told we had reserve pilots dropping us because they had to make up some flying time. ~ don't know if that one was true or not
- Going through the warehouse, the guy throwing down chutes from the stack was told that I needed the special chute for the M-60. He stopped from pulling chutes from the row and walked out of sight and came back with a ratty looking clump of nylon and threw it to me. ~ true
- Outside where everyone gears up, the guys pulled out about a foot of silk from my chute, stuffed it back in, and said they weren't sure it looked very safe ~ true
- Then one guy picked up my reserve chute by the handle and dangled it in front of me. Said it didn't look like it would work and to go back and ask for another one. I wasn't falling for that one even if I really really wanted to. Bravado, you know. (There is a definite trick to picking up a reserve chute by the handle without deploying it, which is why there was a definite urge to go ask for another one)
- So, a night jump, with a friggin' machine gun on my side, reserve pilots who may not know where the drop zone was, and now they put me first in the door.
- I released the gun when I was about 20 feet in the air. Got my ass chewed out for it. Was told, "What kind of idiot wouldn't get the lowering line". I figured that those lines were stored next to the canopy lights. :o