When I was in the Army I decided to join the Airborne and become a paratrooper. I had never jumped from a plane before and wasn’t particularly daring. I was also terrified of falling from great heights. The Army, however, knows how to train its troops.
First, we practiced falling and rolling on the ground without hurting ourselves. This is because the Army parachute is fast. Unlike civilian sport parachuting, military jumping is a life-and-death affair. They want you to get to the ground as fast as possible.
So, we learned first by jumping off chair height platforms and rolling in such a way as to protect our elbows, head, and any projecting bony part of our body.
Then we spent a week jumping from telephone pole height platforms, strapped into a parachute harness, and transported across a wide expanse on steel wires. The toughest part of this was the harness digging into the tender parts of our bodies.
On the third week, we were individually hoisted up a 250-foot tower, fully harnessed with an open parachute. When we reached the top, we were released, and then we drifted down to a well-plowed and soft landing zone surrounding the tower.
At each stage of the process, our proficiency and confidence level increased.
Finally, it was the week for our five training jumps from an Army transport plane. If successful, each of us would be awarded our paratrooper wings after the fifth jump.
The first jump was terrifying. The biggest worry was whether our parachute would open. It did.
The next big worry was hitting the ground without breaking bones. Most of us were successful. Some landed in trees. A few soldiers refused to jump and were dismissed from the Airborne school.
The fifth jump was the hardest. It was with heavy equipment (ammunition, M-16, body armor, mess kit, and a lot more). I landed hard on my tailbone. Thought I hurt myself, but I sprung up, collected my parachute, and ran to the reception area, a field about a half-mile away.
An officer came up to me and pinned on my paratrooper wings. It felt very good. The pain of the last jump disappeared. I was now a paratrooper.
Looking back on this experience, some key points about accomplishing anything worthwhile become evident.
First, you need a specific target.
My goal was to successfully jump from a plane five times and earn my paratrooper wings.
Secondly, you need motivation.
In my case, I was motivated by my stomach. I had heard that the Airborne had the best food in the Army. Whether this was true or not, I also wanted to become part of an elite unit of the military.
Thirdly, you need to know how to do it, and the willingness to practice new techniques over and over to achieve mastery.
Fortunately, the Army made sure that this happened.
And finally, you need to believe that it is possible to achieve.
Ken West served as Army Infantry Paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
He is the author of Your Ego: It’s Your Salvation, Not Your Original Sin, a book about the importance of a healthy ego, and how to help your ego become stronger and bolder. He is also the author of the books, Get What You Want, Your Life Zones, Capitalism WIIFM, and Achieve Your Purpose.
