Over 1,000 Soldiers Jump For A Good Cause

Army Private Gregory Amones sat on the ground with a cherry pie oozing out the right thigh pocket of his uniform. Facing his first parachute jump at Fort Bragg, NC, the soldier didn’t mind the smashed cherry stain on his battle uniform.

The "cherry pie" rite of passage -- celebrating a paratrooper's first jump with his or her assigned unit out of Basic Training -- didn't compare to the jump he was about to make from a 440th Airlift Wing C-130. Private Amones was joining more than a thousand other soldiers and Airmen in Operation Toy Drop.

Celebrating its 10th year, Operation Toy Drop is an international exercise that trains allied jumpmasters to work with US active duty and Reserve paratroopers. The soldiers’ airlift is provided by active duty and Reserve C-130 aircrews.

"It’s an extremely worthwhile program," said Lt. Col. John Loranger, a navigator assigned to the 440th Airlift Wing based at Pope AFB, who flew his first "Toy Drop" December 8. "Not only do we fly missions supporting combined joint operations, we’re also collecting thousands of toys to help needy children during the holiday season."

Named after Sgt. 1st Class Randy Oler, the founder of the original toy drop, the mission attracts international jumpmasters and US soldiers eager to earn international jump wings. The majority of the event is run by Fort Bragg’s Civil Affairs and Psychological operations unit.

The airlift was provided by the 2nd Airlift Squadron and 95th Airlift Squadron -- Air Force Reserve. This year’s participants included jumpmasters from Canada, Chile, Germany and Ireland.

"It’s a meaningful exercise," said Sgt. Kai Becker, a German airborne soldier participating in Operation Toy Drop. "As a jumpmaster I get to give American soldiers wings after they jump, and it’s a wonderful way to meet other airborne soldiers from around the world."

Sergeant Becker said the toy drop made the event extra special. "I donated a car for a young boy," he said. "Maybe it will be the son of a deployed soldier who receives it."

The German jumpmaster described the weekend as an exciting buildup to the jump.

"First we (US and international soldiers) donate a toy or two," he explained. "Then the soldiers get a lottery number. The random number determines what chalk they will fly on the next day, and what international jumpmaster they will work with. The event is very festive."

By Saturday morning, hundreds of paratroopers lined up at the Sicily Drop Zone on Fort Bragg. At timed intervals, the C-130s landed and the soldiers marched onto the aircraft with the engines still running. Within five minutes, the C-130s took off in the dust, and a short time later the soldiers jumped from the C-130s as hundreds of families and friends watched from the ground.

Mission Commander Capt. Adam Shockley, a navigator with the 43rd Airlift Wing, monitored the C-130s from the Sicily Drop Zone.

"Everyone wins in Operation Toy Drop," he said, holding a radio to his ear as he watched soldiers jump from a Reserve C-130. "This is the first year the 440th is a player, and we’re seeing integration between the active duty and Reserve, and learning from each other in the process. We’re also seeing the Army and Air Force work together, and including the foreign jumpmasters. It’s really an amazing operation."

Operation Toy Drop veteran 18th Airborne Corps Army Sgt. Major Kevin Quinn agreed.

"By bringing all these people together, we are exchanging a lot of knowledge," said the soldier. "We share practices, procedures and techniques for a good cause, and will be better prepared for NATO missions and combined joint operations."

More than 1050 soldiers jumped this year, averaging about 50 per plane.

(Aero-News salutes Lt. Col. Ann Peru Knabe, 440th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs)

FMI: www.genmitchell.afrc.af.mil/