YPG Military Community Stunned By Accident

The latest class at the Military Free Fall School, located at the Army's Yuma (AZ) Proving Grounds, was supposed to have graduated last Tuesday. It should have been a time to celebrate their mastery of parachuting in a school said to be as grueling as just about any other in the service.

Instead, they were mourning the loss of a parachute instructor, 31-year old Army Sgt. Mark Raker, killed the night before graduation in a jump with nine students and another instructor.

"It is a huge loss," said Maj. Kathleen Devine, a spokeswoman for the Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, (NC). "Yuma is a very close-knit community and it affects everybody."

The Yuma school is part of the Fort Bragg-based warfare center and is the only one of its kind in the country.

Fifth YPG Death Since 1995

The freefall school opened eight years ago. Since then, five soldiers have been killed in parachuting accidents - the last one in September, 2002. Since then, there had been more than 75,000 safe jumps.

Raker, originally from Baltimore (MD), was a relative new arrival among the jumpmasters at Yuma, joining the staff earlier this year.

There's no word on details about the accident. Carol Darby, spokeswoman for the US Army Special Operations Command, wouldn't say whether Raker's parachute deployed during the jump. His body was found near the landing zone at YPG.

Raker is survived by his wife and two sons.

FMI: www.yuma.army.mil