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The Airborne Creed

I volunteered as a parachutist, fully realizing the hazard of my chosen service and by my thoughts and actions will always uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit-de-corps of parachute troops.

I realize that a parachutist is not merely a soldier who arrives by parachute to fight, but is an elite shock trooper and that his country expects him to march farther and faster, to fight harder, and to be be more self-reliant than any other soldier. Parachutists of all allied armies belong to this great brotherhood.

I shall never fail my fellow comrades by shirking any duty or training, but will always keep myself mentally and physically fit and shoulder my full share of the task, whatever it my be.

I shall always accord my superiors fullest loyalty and I will always bear in mind the sacred trust I have in the lives of the men I will accompany into battle.

I shall show other soldiers by my military courtesy, neatness of dress and care of my weapons and equipment that I am a picked and well trained soldier.

I shall endeavor always to reflect the high standards of training and morale of parachute troops.

I shall respect the abilities of my enemies, I will fight fairly and with all my might, surrender is not in my creed.

I shall display a high degree of initiative and will fight on to my objective and mission, though I be the lone survivor.

I shall prove my ability as a fighting man against the enemy on the field of battle, not by quarreling with my comrades in arms or by bragging about my deeds.

I shall always realize that battles are won by an army fighting as a team, that I fight first and blaze the path into battle for others to follow and to carry the battle on.

I belong to the finest unit in the world. By my actions and deeds alone, I speak for my fighting ability. I will strive to uphold the honor and prestige of my outfit, making my country proud of me and of the unit to which I belong.

"AIRBORNE"

"Where is the prince who can afford so to cover his country with troops for its defense, as that ten thousand men descending from the clouds, might not, in many places, do an infinite deal of mischief before a force could be brought together to repel them?"
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 1784

Being AIRBORNE is like being a VIRGIN; You either are or you are not. If you are not, Nobody really cares to hear your excuses!

BLOOD ON THE RISERS

(Tune of "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah")

He was just a rookie trooper,
And he surely shook from fright
As he checked all his equipment,
And made sure his pack was tight
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar,
You ain't gonna jump no more.

"Is everyone happy?", cried the sergeant, looking up,
Our Hero feebly answered "Yes," and then they stood him up,
He leaped right out into the last, his static line unhooked,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock,
He felt the wind, he felt the clouds, he felt the awful drop,
He jerked his cord, the silk spilled out and wrapped around his legs.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The risers wrapped around his neck, connectors cracked his dome
The lines were snarled and tied in knots, around his skinny bones,
The canopy became his shroud, he hurtled to the ground,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The days he's lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind,
He thought about the girl back home, the one he'd left behind,
He thought about the medics and wondered what they'd find,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The ambulance was on the spot, the jeeps were running wild,
The medics jumped and screamed with glee, they rolled thier sleeves and smiled
For it had been a week or more since last a 'Chute had failed.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

He hit the ground, the sound was "SPLAT", his blood went spurting high
His comrades then were heard to say, "A Helluva way to die."
He lay there rolling 'round in the welter of his gore.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the 'Chute
Intestines were a'dangling from his Paratrooper's boots,
They picked him, still in his 'Chute and poured him from his boots.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

CHORUS:
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!

The RIGGERS Pledge

I will keep constatnly in mind that until men grow wings thier parachutes must be dependable.

I will pack every parachute as though I were going to jump with it myself and will stand ready to jump with any parachute which I have certified as properly inspected and packed.

I will remember that the other man's life is as dear to him as mine is to me.

I will never resort to guessing, as I know that chance is a fool's god and that I, as a rigger, cannot depend on it.

I will never pass over any defect, nor neglect any repair, no matter how small, as I know that omissions and mistakes in the rigging of a parachute may cost a life.

I will keep all parachute equipment entrusted to my care in the best possible condition, remembering always that the little things left undone cause major troubles.

I will never sign my name to a parachute inspection or packing certificate unless I have personally performed or directly supervised every step and am entirely satisfied with all the work.

I will never let the idea that a piece of work is "good enough" make me a potential murderer though a careless mistake or oversight, for I know that there can be no compromise with perfection.

I will keep always a wholehearted respect for my vocation, regarding it as a high profession rather than a day-to-day task, and will keep in mind constantly my grave responsibility.

I will be sure - ALWAYS.

Murphy's Laws of Combat

1. You are not a superman.
2. If it's stupid but works, it's not stupid.
3. Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire. This is why aircraft carriers are called bomb magnets.
4. When in doubt, empty your magazine.
5. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
6. Remember: Your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.
7. If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush.
8. No plan survives the first contact intact.
9. All 5-second grenade fuses will burn out in 3.
10. Try to look unimportant. The enemy may be low on ammo.
11. If you are forward of you position, the artillery will always fall short.
12. The important things are always simple.
13. The simple things are always hard.
14. The easy way is always mined.
15. If you are short of everything except enemy, you're in combat.
16. When you have secured an objective, don't forget to let the enemy know about it.
17. Incoming fire has the right of way.
18. If the enemy is in range, SO ARE YOU.
19. No combat ready unit ever passed inspection.
20. Beer math: two beers times 37 men equal 49 cases.
21. Body count math: two guerillas plus one pigs equals 37 enemy KIA.
22. Things that must be together to work, usually can't be shipped together.
23. Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support desperately.
24. Anything you do can get you shot, including doing nothing.
25. Tracers work both ways.
26. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
27. Make it tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out.
28. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share of objectives to take.
29. When both sides are convinced that they are about to lose, they are both right.
30. Professional soldiers are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.
31. Murphy was a grunt.

DOUBLETIME......ANYTIME......MARCH!
C-130 rolling down the strip
64 troopers gonna take a little trip
Mission top secret, destination unknown
And they don't give a damn if they ever come home

Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to four
If that main don't open wide
I've got a reserve by my side

And if that one should fail me too
Here is all that I should do
Roll over get up and run off the DZ
Cause never in HELL will ya' bury me

or

C-130 flying over Division
And they don't give a damn about the weather decision
Mission top secret, destination unknown
And they don't even know if they're coming home

Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to four
If that main don't open wide
I'll be a part of the country side

A is for all the way
I is for in the sky
R is for rough and tough
B is for born to die
O is for on the go
R is for ready
N is for never quit
E is for everyday

Thanks for the submission vertigo@webcity.net!

AIRBORNE TOAST I have ridden the skies in great machines, hooked up and jumped with the best of men.
I have fought long and hard, and when I felt I had no energy left, I have been fired by the fear that if I stopped fighting, my comrades would die.
And when I was in danger, enemy all around, I heard the thunder from my left and my right, as my life was defended. I have never been alone.
I live, jump, fight and battle to victory with the greatest assemblage of men on earth.
Gentlemen, to the BROTHERHOOD of the AIRBORNE.
To the AIRBORNE !

THE AIRBORNE MYSTIQUE

In French, they are know as "les Paras", in German "die Fallschirmjager, in Spanish "los Paracaidistas and, in English, we call them "Paratroopers". Whatever the language used, the connotation is that of soldiers who are held in awe and respect by their countrymen and possible adversaries. They form a body of tough, elite, highly disciplined troops for any nation. For some, they have been held back as a general reserve; for others, they have been the first forces employed in time of trouble.

More then any other types, airborne forces are most directly and effectively useful in cold war, limited conflict, and general war. In cold war they represent the nation's "hole card"---mobile forces always ready for rapid deployment---and so are a deterrent force. In limited war they would likely be the first army forces strategically deployed. In general war they could carry out a variety of missions such as reinforcing combat elements already deployed, filling strategic gaps where there were no deployments and interdicting enemy forces by vertical envelopment.

A large part of the viability factor in the airborne as an important part of the force structure comes from the effect of airborne training on the individual.

Why airborne? Aside from the practical value of airborne troops, there's a tremendous psychological mystique that's established around men who jump out of aeroplanes.

The "mystique" is, in reality, a personality change undergone by those who become paratroopers. The change is based upon two major facets: the rite of initiation which allows a soldier to be called a "paratrooper", and the continued reinforcement of this status.

THE INITIATION RITE

Sociologists long ago confirmed in laboratory experiments the logic that all men who have undergone stress to be accepted into a particular group intuitively know; a severe initiation causes entrants to value the group highly, whereas a mild initiation does not engender nearly as much of a commitment to the group.

This was demonstrated by Elliot Aronson of Stanford University and Judson Mills of the Leadership Human Research Unit, Human Resources Research Organization in their 1959 studies. Aronson and Mills described a situation in which a number of subjects were given a severe initiation to a group they knew nothing about; an equal number were given a mild initiation; and a third group was given no initiation at all. After listening to the group's discussion by the use of headphones, the subjects were asked to rate the group and their own feelings toward being a part of the group. The subjects who received no initiation rated the group a statistically significant amount lower then did the subjects who received a severe initiation.

Said Aronson and Mills:

The results clearly verified the hypotheses. Subjects who underwent a severe initiation perceived the group as being significantly more attractive then did those who underwent a mild initiation and those who underwent no initiation.

The initiation described by Aronson and Mills lasted but a few hours. Contrast that with the three weeks of intensive training to make a paratrooper, and the finding effect of the initiation is magnified many times. The three weeks of jump school is a severe "rite of passage", and there is no "mild" initiation. There are only two grades in this school: Superior or failure!!

The rite of passage analogy as described by Melford Weiss has three stages:

...separation from the former group or state; transition to the new; and, finally, incorporation...In the case of paratroopers training, the transitional phase is most important.

The transition is accomplished by physical stress and repetition through the first two weeks of the training. The trainee is subjected to all situations encountered in jumping, one at a time, and drilled to execute an automatic response to each of these situations. In the third week, he puts it all together.

Before the last week is out, he jumps five times. Five times he is grabbed by apprehension, and five times he is exhilarated when his chute pops open and eases him down...He'll step out a little prouder, more confident, his head still dizzy from the experience which will live in his memories for the rest of his life.

The rite of passage is not completely over. Any airborne trooper joining a unit is regarded with distrust until he has jumped with the unit.

The cohesiveness of any unit is greatly enhanced by shared experiences of its members. A requirement of an elite group is that a new member demonstrate his credentials for joining the group. Says University of Chicago sociologist and former Israeli paratrooper Cideon Aran:

"The striking resemblance between the jump experience and rites of passage suggests another aspect of the association between jumping and elite status. Jumping can be viewed as a test which allows those who pass it to join an exclusive club."

REINFORCEMENT OF STATUS

All the soldiers on jump status are required to jump at least once every three months. The majority jump more frequently than this. In no case does the act of jumping become routine. In every instance in which a paratrooper steps into space with the ground 1250 feet away, he risks his life. His main parachute, reserve parachute, or both, may malfunction; he may be dragged by the wind once he lands; or he may be blown into the trees or high-tension wires. Although the number of fatalities and serious injuries from parachuting is very small, the consequences of being part of a very small statistic keeps the paratrooper respectful of the act in which he is engaging.

The tensions involved in the continuous requirements for jumping ensure that there is no regression from the personality change which took place during the initiation. Gideon Aran states that there are two motifs which maintain the personality change which we may call "The Airborne Mystique". The first motif is the:

...rich symbolic significance with which parachuting is charged.....this motif obviously results from the intense emotions that accompany the act, especially fear.

The fear is always there, but is under control. The following thoughts were expressed by a young paratrooper:

"You feel these thoughts -- strong inside you. Fear! But fear mixed with the wild spirit, freedom and bravado that jumping gives you. These thoughts are dormant in your consciousness; the only thing that goes through your mind is -- let's get out; let's jump; let's GO!!"

THE RESULT

Jumping encourages self confidence, determination, self reliance, masterful activity, aggression, courage, and other items symptomatic of the phallic-narcissistic type, all of which are very important in the military setting, especially in paratroop commando units, which rely heavily on individual action and are aggressive in nature. In a way, even the illusion of omnipotence enhanced by jumping can make a better soldier.

Paratroopers live a life of uncertainty. Not only must they continually be tested in the air, but they are also subjected to frequent alerts for deployment. At least an equal number are due to actual conditions which may require their presence. In recent history, we can think of a sufficient number of actual deployments to know that the paratrooper must be ready.

Parachute jumping tests and hardens a soldier under stress in a way nothing short of battle can do. You never know about others. But paratroopers will fight. You can bet on that. They repeatedly face danger while jumping and develop self discipline that conquers fear. Subconsciously, every trooper knows this. That's why he has that extra cocky confidence.

Part of the World War II German paratroopers creed reads as follows:

"Be as nimble as a greyhound, as tough as leather, as hard a Krupp steel......Never surrender. To your death or victory must be a point of honour."

German paratroopers performed acts of daring against great odds at Fort Eben Emael and on Crete. They often fulfilled the requirements of their creed. Canadian paratroopers have performed similarly and will continue to do so in the future.