Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force

Conclusion

As I close this volume in my series of guided tours of military units, it is hard not to feel that series been given a special gift with this look at the 82nd Airborne Division. With the possible exception of the U.S. Marine Corps, no other military formation of any real size in the world today combines both the spirit of the offensive and the strategic mobility of the 82nd. It is these qualities, as well as their year-round readiness for any mission with which they may be tasked, that make the 82nd so valuable in the minds of Presidents and their staffs. These same virtues make them both revered by our allies, as well as feared and reviled by our enemies. This is quite a range of emotions to be generated by a community of only around 20,000 Army personnel. But then again, if several thousand of them can arrive on top of your most valuable military installation within thirty-six hours of you offending the sensibilities of an American President, well then perhaps the reputation is well deserved.

Today, as the airborne forces of the U.S. Army enter their sixth decade of service to the nation, they are uniquely placed for service as the world enters a new millennium. Their mobility and speed make them ideal for the fast-breaking crisis situations that have been becoming the norm in the post-Cold War environment that we have been stumbling through for the last few years. More important, the personnel of the 82nd Airborne possess a unique adaptability, which allows them to rapidly adjust to new equipment, tactics, and situations. Their motto of, “… All the Way!” is more than just a boastful yell. It is a heritage that they have proven in combat, and paid for in the blood of fallen paratroops from the dusty hills of Sicily, to the hedgerows and polder country of Northwest Europe, to the sands of the Persian Gulf. This is why the Army trusts the 82nd to wring out some of their newest systems like the new Javelin anti-tank missile. The leadership knows that the 82nd will get the most from it, and show the rest of the soldiers in the Army how to use it in the best possible way. They also know that when things in a crisis situation fail to go according to plan, airborne troopers will make the most of a bad situation. These facts alone guarantee that if the Army were to shrink to just one division, it would probably be the 82nd Airborne that would remain standing. In an Army that is currently struggling to redefine, restructure, and resize itself in the fiscal realities of the post — Cold War world, this is saying a great deal indeed!

So with all this said, just what is the future of the 82nd’s troopers as we transition in the uncertain global situation that will be the early 21 st century? Well, for starters, some things about the 82nd will never change. This is a good thing, because these are the prime characteristics that make the unit so special. The history and traditions will continue to be celebrated and remembered, and will undoubtedly grow as the division moves into the next century. In addition, three brigade task forces will undoubtedly stay in place for the foreseeable future, standing their eighteen week cycle on ready alert “just in case.” As America’s “Fire Brigade,” the 82nd will always draw the crisis responses, wherever the problem may be in the world. This is the job that the “All-Americans” signed up for when they first went to Jump School, and it is what they live for in the Army.

Beyond the metaphysical things that will always make the 82nd unique, there are also the physical and equipment attributes that will define the Division’s capabilities after 2001. Already, the airborne troopers of the 82nd are receiving the new fire-and-forget Javelin anti-tank missile, as well as a host of new command, control, and communications systems. By the early years of the 21 st century, the list of new airborne weapons may include such high visibility items as the RAH-66 Comanche stealth reconnaissance/attack helicopter, as well as the N-LOS and EFOG-M fire support systems. It is the load of the individual trooper, though, that may most change the capabilities of the 82nd’s soldiers. Depending what comes out of the Force XXI/Land Warrior XXI programs, the airborne trooper of the early 21st century may look a lot like Robert Heinlien’s vision of such soldiers in his classic novel, Starship Troopers. In this marvelous yarn, he has the paratroops of a far future deploying from orbiting starships, clad in powered armor combat suits, linked into a digital combat network. Amazing as it sounds, by the 2025 timeframe, the airborne trooper will probably be halfway to what Heinlien envisioned. Starship troopers? Well, perhaps not quite yet. But the vision is out there, and certainly the raw material, the young paratroops of the 82nd, will be there when the engineers and bureaucrats get around to issuing the gear to the force.

Whatever they wear and however they are delivered into combat, the troopers of the 82nd Airborne will always be special warriors in America’s armed forces. We ask of them a measure of courage and devotion that transcends the technical skills of shooting and jumping into combat. The airborne lifestyle is itself the ultimate test of the paratrooper. The eighteen week training/alert cycle places extraordinary strains on the men and women of the Division, especially on their personal lives. Knowing that a loved one may be flying off to a war on the other side of the world must make every phone and beeper call a thing of terror to the friends, family, and loved ones of the 82nd’s troopers. These extraordinary people are themselves warriors, and you see the signs of their support along the streets and boulevards of Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, NC. For them, I offer my highest praise and thanks as an American. Because of you and your troopers, the rest of us can sleep soundly at night.

With this, I close this volume, the fifth in this series. One final thought, though. These have been tough times for the Army, with numerous news stories going out over the airwaves about racial and sexual harassment problems within the force. Let me say, though, that our armed forces are still a great place for young people to build a future and find a profession. On the whole, the soldiers that I know are honorable men and women that I am proud to call my friends. So for those of you who may have children or friends who are considering a career in the military, please encourage them to give it a try. I think you will be proud that you did so. Proud of them, proud of our country, and proud that you supported them in their decision. I know that I would be.