Photo By Sgt. Jeremy Spires | Texas National guardsman worked extensively with the Texas Department of Public...... read more read more
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AUSTIN, Texas – For some National Guard soldiers, drill weekend can get pretty routine, especially with what feels like endless training classes and volumes of administrative paperwork to be completed.
This isn’t the case for service members of C Company, 1/19th and 5/19th Special Forces Group, 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, the 147th Air Support Operations Squadron and the 249th Quartermasters Company; during their annual deliberate water airborne jump into the Walter E. Long Lake.
“Historically we do one deliberate water jump a year,” said Maj. Max Krupp, Commander of the 1/19th SFG(A). “As part of the training for a Special Forces soldier, we are required to maintain airborne proficiency as an infiltration platform.”
Prior to a jump, Special Forces Groups train for hours, conducting multiple drills and planning sessions. In an unseasonably windy day, which created choppy waters, the jumpers took extra precautions.
“When you do jump over ground you have to look at all your obstacles: water, fences and high-tension wires,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Rolando C. Garza, the senior enlisted noncommissioned officer for the C Company 1/19 SFG (A). “Of course since water is part of it, we do a deliberate jump so we know how to control the canopy, the B-7 “floaters” and, of course, how to be comfortable in the water.”
Last year the units were able to do a similar jump into the Gulf of Mexico, outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. This year they decided to bring it closer to home, which afforded them a unique opportunity to help build upon a close friendship with various community organizations.
“This was a combine operation with a lot of our state partners thru the friendships that have been developed over a long time,” said Krupp. “We also work with local law enforcement, and for this operation we worked extensively with the Texas Department of Public Safety, especially the S.W.A.T. and Texas Rangers.”
With an operation of this size, many factors must be looked at. From coordinating the air space down to the safety of every jumper, no stone can be left unturned.
“To make it safe, we are trying to get one boat (Zodiacs) per jumper,” said Garza. “Since the (Texas Military Forces) cannot sustain that, so we go out and ask the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to assist us in the training.”
As the day progressed the jumpers returned to shore soaking wet and in high spirits. Many are already talking about their next jump, both over land and again into the water.
“This was a great opportunity for us,” said Krupp. “We are very appreciative of the climate within the Texas Army National Guard that afforded us to do this type of training that other people never get the opportunity to even attempt to do.”
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2012 11:14 |
| Story ID: | 94660 |
| Location: | AUSTIN, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 451 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Texas National Guard soldiers conduct airborne ops in central Texas, by SGT Jeremy Spires, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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