Battlefield Korea

Great Day to be a Paratrooper

Captain Ma Qiliang had just stood up in the back of the Xian Y-20 transport aircraft as his airborne company neared the drop zone. This was the best part of being a paratrooper-the lead up to the jump out of the aircraft into the abyss below. This would be their tenth jump in four weeks, which was more than they had conducted the previous year, let alone in a single month.

The first few drops had been on a practice range to get the division used to dropping as a single unit. Nearly 11,000 paratroopers from the 43^rd Airborne Division were participating in the jumps, the largest exercise in the history of the organization. The first two brigades would jump in and secure the objective; then the second wave with the last two brigades would follow with additional equipment and supplies. Tonight’s jump was on a simulated hostile airfield, which his battalion would secure and prepare to receive the additional heavy equipment that could not just be thrown out the back of an aircraft. It would be a timed event with observers, just like the last two jumps.

As he checked the parachute of the man in front of him, he could feel the man behind him doing the same. Then, the proverbial red light came on, letting them know they were almost to the drop zone. The jump master standing near the exit to the aircraft opened the door where they would be jumping out. Wind started to buffet their faces, and they began to psych themselves up as the adrenaline pumped through their veins. A few minutes later, the green light came on, and the jump master signaled for everyone to start moving through the exit. One by one, the men of Captain Ma’s company walked out the side entrance of the aircraft, their chutes opening seconds later.

In less than a minute, he had joined his men, rushing through the air. He felt his chute snap open, jerking his body from freefall to a soft, gentle floating sensation. As he looked around, the light of the moon allowed him to make out the white parachutes of the rest of the soldiers from his company, descending with him to the airfield below. Further out to his left and right, he could see the other companies of the battalion descending towards their objectives as well.

His group had been tasked with securing the terminal and the nearby hangers. Other teams would secure the control tower, the entrances to the airport, the runways, and the surrounding areas. His battalion had been training hard for the past several months leading up to this exercise. They had spent more time at the range over the last few weeks than he could remember. Just a month ago, his unit had been fully equipped with night vision goggles and body armor, which they now used during all of their jumps. He almost felt like his unit had been transformed into one of the elite Special Forces units he used to read about as a child.

As he neared the ground, he prepped his body for the landing, bending his knees slightly and preparing to roll. His feet made contact with the earth below, and he bent and rolled just as he had been taught and done so many times before. In seconds, he was down on the ground, disconnecting his parachute, rolling it up as fast as he could while his eyes searched for his drop bag (which held his rucksack and extra ammunition). His rifle had been strapped to his body armor, so he was ready for combat from the moment he had jumped out of the plane.

In less than five minutes, the majority of his soldiers had their gear on and were moving to secure their primary objectives. He left one of his sergeants to police up the stragglers and get them moving when they were ready. His soldiers moved to their various primary and secondary objectives, just as they had trained dozens of times before this jump, to the point that it was becoming second nature. As the observers watched and took notes, his men deftly moved to neutralize each of the manikins that had been dressed like a guard. Now that they knew where each door entrance was from memory, his soldiers gained control of both their primary and secondary objectives in less than ten minutes, a new best.

After they had secured the objectives and met the training exercise goals, their observers went over everything they had done right and wrong. They spent the next two days working on their various approaches, training for how they would respond if a guard opened fired, or how to react if additional security arrived at the airport. Once they had gone through a series of new challenges meted out by their observers, they were given one final jump. This would be their last jump before they would be certified as combat ready for whatever special mission their superiors were cooking up.

Captain Ma had no idea why they had been given so much training and specialized equipment these past few months, but it thrilled him. This was why he had wanted to become a paratrooper, to be a part of an elite force that could jump into any country and secure any objective given to them. He only hoped that after all this intense training and additional equipment, they would get to put their training to a real test soon.