Reed graduates from Airborne Training
Reed
Vukelic finished three weeks of Airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia on
August 29. Like everything else associated with Airborne school, the
graduation date was uncertain. That's because each soldier had to make
five jumps during the last week of training, "Jump Week."
According to Reed, the first jump went smoothly from 1,250 feet. The training on the jump towers helped although one of the "jump masters" bruised his ribs severely when he slammed into one of the towers during a demonstration. "That almost never happens," Reed's company was told. Small consolation.
Reed's class consisted of regular Army troops, ROTC cadets, and enlisted military men, including Marine and Air Force personnel. One sergeant stood at the door of the plane and wouldn't budge when commanded to jump. He simply froze. There is a narrow window of opportunity to jump as several men exit the plane at one-second intervals. Jumping early or late can lead to entangled parachutes and potential disaster. The sergeant was sent back to his unit, washed out of Airborne.
Pam and Meredith were starting their first week of school at B.H.S., so Jim bought a ticket to Georgia on faith. "If the weather is bad on Jump Week, graduation could be delayed a few days," Reed told him. As it turned out, the weather was fine, Reed's jumps went well, and graduation was held on schedule.
Three companies marched to Eubanks Field for the graduation ceremony. A
small red dot shows where Reed is standing in the formation.
Lt. Col. Rush (ret.) delivered the graduation address. "You will
learn something from both the good and bad instructors you've had these last
three weeks," Colonel Rush told the men and women graduating. Reed
confirmed that thought later saying some of his instructors were less than
sterling. Many of them were not Army but came from other branches of the
military.
Reed stands next to Gustavo Ritschel, an ex-policeman from New York City.
The two have become good friends. There's nothing like sharing
life-threatening experiences to bond people together.
Jim pins the Airborne Wings on Reed. Here is one very proud papa.
Back at the barracks after graduation, soldiers are given there orders to their
next duty station. Reed will go to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Reed and Gustavo pose while relaxing at a local motel in Columbus, Georgia.
The two men demonstrate the "Airborne Shuffle," a procedure followed inside the plane just before
jumping.
Later that day, Jim and Reed took Gustavo to his shuttle bus. Gustavo will spend some R & R in New York. Jim and Reed spent the night in Columbus. The next day they picked up Reed's uniforms with their newly-sewn patches and headed out of town. Next stop, Macon, Georgia, then on to Six Flags over Georgia.