aboutcontactsubscribe

On the Spot with Special Ops (Part 2)

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009
Continuing with a selection of the drawings here done at Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB with the students and instructors of the USAF Combat Control School.

Fitting the parachutes on the students preparing for the jump.
Seconds, mere seconds, to capture the action before it was on to the next student.
This is not some awkward hands on head pose. There was another soldier behind tightening and securing the straps, but I never got a chance to catch the process at the same time.
Another one of those opportunities, actually a continuation of the previous drawing in time sequence. 1st Sergeant McHarney making sure the student here is on top of what he'll be doing within the next hour after he parachutes into position.
One of my big errors here was not switching to video on my Canon and recording the sequence as the students wrapped up their parachutes to pack away once they landed. The parachute is wrapped around in extending arms as the soldier twists and bends and turns like a sort of spinning wheel. It is a positively balletic set of movements, actually more like modern dance, that is really beautiful to watch. And it's over before you know it.
A few more days of this would have been a dream come true, even as my back was screaming from the uncomfortable sustained bends I made at times to get the right angles. Need to develop my core strength. Next time. There will probably be a Part 3 as I am expecting some pix of me in the field that could be worth posting.
I don't know how this one slipped under the radar but I forgot to include it in the original posting. This is the same student captured in a couple drawings above.
Photo by Paul Smith.
© 2024 Victor Juhasz