"It Was Probably My Most Memorable Jump," -- Retiring Dad

OK, would you jump from a perfectly good helicopter? With your father? Or your son? Meet the Gillulys -- who would, and did. The Gillulys are Christopher (son, below), a lieutenant with D company 1/325 Airborne Infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division, and Kenny, his father, who's the retention sergeant major of the 18th Airborne Corps (the largest unit on Fort Bragg).

Kenny Gilluly has spent most of his 30 years in the Army on Bragg, in jump status. "I'd see (my father) coming home with broken legs and a busted butt, and I still volunteered," Christopher said. He's always wanted to be a paratrooper -- like his Dad. (All paratroopers have always been volunteers). Despite the laughter, the father-son team of soldiers really wanted to make a jump together, and when Christopher was assigned to the 82nd at Bragg, it looked like it was going to happen.

Ah, but Dad had to take a little road trip last year -- a deployment to Iraq. And on his return, it was Christopher's chance to saddle up with his men for a tour in Afghanistan.

Then there are the usual military cycles of individual and unit training and support. Time was running out -- the Army expects most soldiers to retire at 30 years, and Kenny had a retirement date in September. But on April 13 the two Gilluly soldiers pulled it off. Christopher (on the left in the picture where they're waiting to go, and seen with his hands on his helmet during jumpmaster inspection) and Kenny made it to the same drop zone at the same time.

Appropriately, they were dressed differently: father in the woodland-camouflage Battle Dress Uniform and well-worn green Vietnam-era jungle boots that the Army is phasing out, and son in the latest Army Combat Uniform that the Army is phasing in, with desert boots. Symbolism?

They rode the same UH-60 helicopter to a safe altitude -- but came down under separate chutes. For SGM Kenny Gilluly it's his 131st -- and last -- military jump.

"My career is ending, and his is pretty much just beginning, so this is a good time to do it," he said. "It was probably my most memorable jump. Not many people have the opportunity to make a parachute jump with their son."

"It's fitting because it was Dad's last jump, so this is a good end," 1LT Gilluly said. It was his eleventh jump, so he has some catching up to do -- but plenty of time to do it in.

"I hope he finds the same job satisfaction and fulfillment in his career as I found in mine," SGM Kenny Gilluly (below, right, with his son) said.

(One last thing: I'm sure some of you wonder why Army paratroops jump from helicopters, when the copters could, after all, land them anywhere even more safely than parachutes can. It's not done in combat, but helicopters make for quick and efficient proficiency jumps. Jumpers sit in the door of the copter and push themselves off one after the other as the machine tracks over the drop zone at about 90 knots.)

(Aero-News salutes SPC Mike Pryor (photo journalist) and PFC Susie Blair (photographer) of Fort Bragg)

FMI: www.army.mil