C-47 Participates In Airborne Awards Festival At Fort Benning

The annual Airborne Awards Festival took place over the weekend of April 19th – 21, 2018 at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment hosted the event, which featured a jump onto the historic Fryar Drop Zone by the Liberty Jump Team, a Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony, and a skit by Soldiers of the 1-507th PIR among other highlights. The festival gathers former and current members of the Airborne community together to honor those that they have lost, to share and learn from their experiences, and to celebrate the proud tradition of airborne soldiering.

This year marked the 41st edition of the Annual Airborne Awards, and the D-Day Squadron, with their WWII combat-veteran Douglas C-47 Skytrain named Placid Lassie, had the distinct privilege of participating in the festivities last week. WWII, Korean War, Vietnam and other airborne veterans had the opportunity to tour Placid Lassie prior to the ceremony. The historic transport plane also provided the backdrop for a re-enlistment parade and the presentation of honorary jump wings to two members of the Liberty Jump Team.

D-day Squadron Executive Director Moreno Aguiari stated, “It was truly awe inspiring to watch over 20 jumpers parachute out of Placid Lassie and float safely to the ground. The ceremony afterwards, commemorating the paratroopers who lost their lives in service to their country, and the road naming dedication was a solemn moment and was executed beautifully. Another element of pride and excitement was the fact that our C-47 stood next to the current generation of troop carriers, the C-17 and C-130.” Placid Lassie flew from Lawson Army Airfield, located within Fort Benning. Operating from this historic site added another important element to the heritage lineage, because C-47s flew from this exact airfield during WWII  to train airborne troops in the art of the combat drop.

Lawson Field dates back to 1919, when the U.S. Army built a crude landing field at Fort Benning. Comprising just two small hangars, the field’s initial occupant was a balloon unit which was charged with determining whether observers in balloons could assist the infantry in prosecuting enemy land forces. Lawson field was pretty quiet between the wars, but expanded hugely in size and importance during WWII. The Army dramatically upgraded the facilities, constructing new barracks, runways, parking aprons etc. Parachute Training soon became a primary function for the field, with the Army handing the field over to I Troop Carrier Command on August 26th, 1942. The four C-47 squadrons which comprised the 316th Troop Carrier Group had arrived on site earlier that month. Lawson Field has continually grown since those days, and still plays an important role in Airborne Operations.

(Source: Warbird News. Images provided)

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