Posted: 3/31/2017 10:07:18 PM EDT
Was thinking about Air Assault School today at work. Attended at Ft. Richardson AK , we were TDY from Ft. Wainwright. Man that school was a lot of fun. My platoon leader and another platoon leader from my company were in my stick, I was a Corporal and was assigned stick leader. Those LTs were late every other formation, never figured out if it was intentional but as there "no rank" in the school I was guilty of giving them any sh*t detail I could . A lot of guys from Richardson were attending as well but they were all in separate sticks as I recall. First day we were on the towers one of the Richardson guys came screaming down the rope,threw his brake late, and broke both legs as I recall. His old lady was in their car in the parking lot to pick him up after school thus his hurry, sadly that didn't work out so well for him.
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I once rappelled from a helicopter. Well, actually it was attached to a 60 foot tower. More accurately, it was a skid attached to a 60 foot tower. And it was a school. Well, a university ROTC class. I don't think that really counts.    *Lifts up a glass of EW to you!
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Graduated in 1982 at Campbell, when there was only the one. Also spent time at Wainright, in January and February, mostly outdoors.
Don't really have many fond memories of either one. Odd, because usually you remember the good parts. Either I'm old and cranky or those experiences sucked a bit. |
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*Lifts up a glass of EW to you!Excellent thread, OP and thanks to all of you vets and AD guys for putting it on the line. Two broken legs is a motherfucker. Training accidents are a reality for military guys. My dad was a grunt and told me some stories. |
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Pvt Munoz, whose Sister I had gone to high school with, got gently lowered to the ground by a UH1 after he let his thumb go into his D-ring. I seem to recall him taking up yodeling at the time.....
I did a night assault at JOTC Panama, loaded down with ruck, M-60, full ammo load, Jumped hard to clear the skid ( UH1 ) and hit the ground without braking. Fooking pilot was less than 20 feet off the hill. Fuck that hurt! Then the damn 60 wouldn't cycle blanks, so I couldn't play! 
Fun tour down there for a young grunt, Joes extraction through the canopy, after which the pilots entertained themselves by flying us around on the end of the rope, then taking us out and dunking us in the ocean. We also helicast out of Chinooks into the canal with rubber boats, skip-skip-skip-swim; sneak & Peeked an Island, the joes extracted off it when we got in contact. Slack jumps off the tower until someone broke his ankle....fun times, the seventies and early eighties. 
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I graduated in December 1986 from Ft Campbell's Air Assault school. We were one of the last classes to repel from the Huey helicopter before the 101st changed over to Black Hawks. |
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I went through at Ft Campbell, Class 17-87. I think we were two or three cycles after a fatal fall.
I o'possumed out on my first Blackhawk rappel. 
Oddly, I had the same roster number in AA school as I did in basic training. When I got out of the army, I got a job as a mechanic at a dealership. My tech number, 238. Freaky shit. |
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I graduated in December 1986 from Ft Campbell's Air Assault school. We were one of the last classes to repel from the Huey helicopter before the 101st changed over to Black Hawks. They were still giving blood wings on request at graduation back then.
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| Don't want to drift too far but we had a Platoon Sergeant in my company who also a NC native so we talked a bit. He was at Hamburger Hill and had taken AK rounds to the right arm and right thigh. He had done a number of insertions by rope. He had some stories that would keep you up all night.The reason I bring him up, he could tie a bowline on a bight with one hand. |
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Just turned down the opportunity to "maybe" go because there "might" be a slot for me in a class that's after I'm supposed to be home. Whole lot of BS went down for this thing, as I was on the list, then got pushed off from some late addition CPTs that popped up, and then I was told they probably won't have a 60 to actually rappel out of. Not to mention I don't have shit in the way of a packing list anymore
Would've been cool to be an air assault qualified apache mechanic, though
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I never attended, or had a chance to, "Chair assault" school. Back in the late 60s/early 70s they wouldn't let the school guys unass the bird until the skids were almost on the ground!
I do however have 6 or 7 Combat Assaults in 1970. I was always one of the guys on the skids and at my estimation we unassed the bird at approx 6 or7 ft as she was settling in. Hit the ground and roll and come up ready to furnish suppresive fire for the rest of the load, if it was necessary. Fortunately never hit but one hot LZ. And since I never attended the "formal school" I was never awarded the chair assault wings. BFD, I had a chest full of other wings/badges anyway! Sarge |