Photo By Master Sgt. William Reinier | Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Noble, a jumpmaster and instructor at the 82nd Airborne...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - By Feb. 16, spring training will be in full swing for Major League Baseball. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade, however, got their own version during the spring training with the troops event held this week on Fort Bragg.
More than a dozen current and former professional baseball players joined with members of the Fox Sports Girls to visit service members from all over Fort Bragg and their families. Events throughout the week included physical training with various units around post and a youth camp for family members.
On Wednesday morning, it was time for spring training to go airborne and Miami Marlins pitcher Mike Dunn said he was ready.
“I’m game for anything,” he said. “I told them: I want to do it all.’’
In this case, “doing it all” included a trip to the 82nd Airborne Division’s Advanced Airborne School where they got the chance to experience the thrill of exiting a high-performance aircraft in the form of the 34-foot tower.
After a demonstration of the tower exiting procedures by 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment Paratroopers, the players and girls suited up and headed to the top of the tower where the real excitement began.
Rex Hudler, broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals, said once he got to the top, he started having second thoughts.
“I got a little nervous,” he said. “But when that service member…said ‘Ready, GO,’ I had to go, man.”
“It was beautiful.”
Fox Sports-Ohio Girl Sara said she couldn’t believe she made the jump.
“Oh my gosh, that was so exciting,” she said. “I couldn’t disappoint everyone down on the ground, so I had to do it.”
Once she reached the top, Sara knew there was no turning back.
“It feels like you’re just stepping out into nothing,” she said. “I had faith in the soldiers helping me at the top,”
“I knew they wouldn’t let anything happen to me. It was so amazing.”
As much fun as it was for the players and girls, Paratroopers said they enjoyed it as well.
Staff Sgt. Justin Chavis, an infantry squad leader from 1-73rd’s Charlie Troop, said that it was an honor to host the group.
“It’s nice for them to take the time out of their day to come over here and see us,” he said. “It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things where you think ‘I’m really glad I got to do that’.”
Once the players made their jump, they met with Chavis and his squad and took pictures, signed autographs and even tried on the equipment that soldiers use in training and in combat.
At the end of the day, pitcher Mike Dunn said he hoped to take the things he learned through his experience at Bragg back to his clubhouse to share with his teammates.
“You hope to be able to bring back the discipline that’s out here and show the other guys,” he said. “The dedication you see out here is unbelievable.”
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2014 10:44 |
| Story ID: | 120384 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Spring training with the troops visits the Advanced Airborne School, by MSG William Reinier, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
