As I read this I racked my brain trying to remember this happening but don't.
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Jay Nelson was looking forward to an easy afternoon with the 82nd Airborne Division on March 23, 1994. He was going on a "Hollywood" parachute jump -- one with no equipment on a beautiful day.
Before the day ended, Nelson -- then a lieutenant leading an airborne infantry platoon -- was burned over 45 percent of his body and fighting for his life at Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Center.
An F-16D Fighting Falcon fighter jet collided in midair with a C-130E Hercules cargo airplane over Pope Air Force Base. The collision sent the fighter skidding across the pavement and into a parked C-141 Starlifter, then into an area known as the Green Ramp filled with paratroopers.
Twenty-three soldiers died and about 100 were injured. Another soldier died later.
An emotional memorial service Tuesday at the 82nd Airborne's chapel featured songs from the 82nd Airborne chorus and a rifle salute. Boots and inverted rifles were placed at the front of the chapel in memory of each victim.
The 34-year-old Nelson, now a major, recalled the day of the crash that burned more than 45 percent of his body.
"I heard the popping noise of the pilots punching out of the aircraft," Nelson said. "I saw the F-16 tumbling toward me. It looked like it was on fire and all of us were running.
"I remember the world turning orange and the fireball sweeping over me. I lost consciousness and when I woke up I was on fire."
Nelson attributed his recovery not only to medical care but to intense prayer from his families.
On the 10th anniversary of the crash, the Nelson and his wife, Beth, said the painful, difficult experience made them stronger personally, spiritually and as a couple.
"We are not just the couple that survived the Pope accident," Beth Nelson said. "We are other things."
"That is important to us," Jay Nelson said.
Nelson said that on each anniversary of the crash, whether he is in a meeting or deployed overseas, he looks at his watch and notices when it turns 2 p.m., the time of the accident.
"I have a little private time with myself," he said.
The 82nd Airborne Division is holding a memorial ceremony Tuesday to honor the paratroopers who died and were injured in the crash.
"That's going to be difficult for me as well, but it's important for us to honor those who have gone before us," Nelson said.
Last year, the Air Force honored 11 people with heroism awards for risking their lives to help injured soldiers.
Air Force investigators said the crash occurred when the fighter and the transport tried to land on the same runway at the same time.