Thread: Elbow grease

Your right... they are FNG's (F'n new guys). You forgot one thing Bill... when you send them to get canopy lights, you have to make sure they get the keys to the drop zone too.... Pretty funny story happened about a year ago.

I was about to get out of the service, and my unit got like 8 new guys... well we sent this one new guy right out of Airborne school down to the another battalion to get some canopy lights, Prink/E-5 and the keys to sicily drop zone. I called my 1sgt and had her call around Group and give some of the jump masters a heads up on the FNG. So we sent the guy off to all the meanist SOB's in the Group and finally he ends of at the motorpool. Of course my buddy I just got done spending 9 months over int he sand box with is the section leader down there, so he gave our very shaken and disterbed victim 2x (Explaining that he wasn't sure which was sicily) 3ft cones with a key dummy corded to them and a box of headlights... This is after he gives the guy a hell of a time for about half an hour. Finally about an hour before COB this guy comes walking up, both hands full with these giant cones, trying to balance the box of lights and quickly trying to explain that couldn't bring back a prick/e-5 and that the guy at the motorpool told him that he could get a prick/e-7 at the drop zone if needed. So... barely being able to keep a straight face, we told him to take the stuff home and to be at the drop zone at 0430 to open the gate at sicily drop zone..... He showed up to PT that morning in BDU all pissed off... the 1sgt called him out in formation... it was awsome.... It was like a 2 day trail for this guy.

Anyhow... you cant leave out the exaust samples. Theres always exaust samples following that box of grid squares!!! Or the reverse lights on the Humvee.

Can't stay...bye bye, now...

Originally Posted by urleebird

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 ) 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.

Ah thats good bill. Sounds like you got a nice ride. At least you didn't ride the M60 in. Ive seen it happen. Airborne school is still 5 jumps and the 6th just is still the cherry jump just fyi. They still call you a cherry until you have jumped with the unit 1 time for each letter in "Airborne". The 82nd has a new tradition though. They have cherry red kevlars to give all cherrys. Some of them even have twin cherry painted on them and all sorts of other things. Makes them easy to spot.

I was at Ft. Bragg for about 5 years, and spent nearly 3 of that in those fun places where you can always find some sand in your crack. I had 37 official jumps with my unit and a handful of official jumps with the 82nd and lord knows how many jumps that never made the manifest... I think I can honestly say that I never once did a PLF though... I was a big fan of FAH(Feet Ass Head). I never had to ride a 60 though!