Full Story
4th Force Recon Jumps 'Down Under' During Southern Canopy 2006
Submitted by: Marine Forces Pacific
Story Identification #: 200662819471
Story by Sgt. Ryan O'Hare
NOWRA, Australia (June 28, 2006) -- When the hydraulic cargo doors opened at an altitude of 25,000 feet into the black abyss of the Australian night sky, Marines performed their final gear and oxygen mask checks before giving the ‘thumbs up’ to the Jumpmaster. Frigid air quickly filled the C-130 transport plane, and little could be heard over the sounds of the rushing wind. Seconds later, the jump caution light switched from red to green and it was time to go. One-by-one, each Marine walked to the edge of the ramp, taking a leap few others in the world are trained to do.
This High Altitude High Opening jump was one of many conducted by 4th Force Reconnaissance Company recently during Southern Canopy 2006, a bilateral training exercise with the Royal Australian Armed Forces and U.S. Marine Corps in Nowra, located in New South Wales.
The exercise focused on military parachuting, reconnaissance patrolling and limited service-support cross training. It honed the skills of the Australian and U.S. reconnaissance units, allowing the two to share their own styles of training while fostering a strong working relationship.
“It’s always a great opportunity for us to train with the Marines,” said Australian Army Sgt. Simon Meehan, a jump instructor at the Australian Parachute Training School. “Each of us has our own way of doing certain things, so it’s good to get together and learn from one another.”
This year is the first time 4th Force was able to attend Southern Canopy due to deployment schedules of the other active duty reconnaissance units that usually support the exercise.
“This is a great opportunity for us to be able to come down here to Australia and conduct the training that we are doing,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jonathon Brown, 4th Force Recon Paraloft chief and military free-fall jumpmaster. “Because we have unrestricted airspace down here, it allows us to get in a lot more training jumps than we might get back at home.”
The exercise, which consists of Marines from both 4th Force Reconnaissance Company Headquarters at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and Marines from their detachment in Reno, Nevada, fulfills the two-week annual drill requirement reservists must complete. It also gave the unit a change of pace from their normal training routine.
“We wanted this to be a sort of retention exercise,” said Brown. “With a lot of our guys just getting back from Iraq, it’s a bonus to be able to train down here as well as have a good time.”
The training, which started with a series of basic refresher classes at PTS for the Marines, also covered some safety hazards they might encounter once they hit the dirt in Australia, such as indigenous snakes, spiders and ticks. Once classes were finished, it was time to polish their skills in the air.
Before jumping, each team, or stick, runs through a series of safety checks. These checks include everything from what to do in case of a malfunctioning canopy or entanglement to proper emergency landing procedures.
“Safety is our main mission when doing this kind of training,” said Brown. “It’s important that everyone knows exactly what to do in case something goes wrong.”
The parachute training portion of Southern Canopy consisted of three phases: low-level static line jumping, High-Altitude Low-Opening and also High-Altitude High-Opening jumps.
During the low-level static line jumps from 12,999 feet, the most basic of the training package, Marines sharpened their techniques as they worked on speed, direction and landing capabilities. During these jumps, parachutes are automatically deployed as each Marine exits the aircraft.
“It’s a very important part of our job to have practical and tactical insert methods,” said Lance Cpl. Roger Kalkhouven, a 4th Force Recon Marine who has nine jumps. “It’s been an excellent time jumping down here and I’ve really improved on my landings already.”
After Kalkhouven’s first jump from 25,000 feet, he had a few other words to say. “That was by far the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. That’s the first jump where I actually closed my eyes for a second when I did it.”
Some static line jumpers were also getting familiar with a new kind of parachute different from the MC-5 system they learned at jump school. Although these parachutes were new to some, they will soon be replaced with the Multi-Mission Parachute System, a new Marine Corps-specific parachute that provides better maneuverability and speed while in the air.
Once the static line jumps were completed, it was time for the free-fallers to gain altitude and fly like birds.
During HALO, Marines can jump from altitudes more than 25,000 feet with a free-fall time of more than two minutes and temperatures of negative-80 degrees with the wind chill. Because of the extreme altitude and atmosphere, Marines are qualified to breathe oxygen during their decent. The oxygen tank, which adds another 15-20 pounds, allows the Marines to survive the jump without contracting life-threatening symptoms such as hypoxia and decompression sickness.
“Free-falling is an actual art,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Haley, a 4th Force Recon Marine and military free-fall jumpmaster with over 1,500 jumps. “You have to fly your body and manipulate the wind. You don’t just simply fall to the earth.”
Another training package the Marines ran through was HAHO. During these jumps, Marines open their canopy at high altitudes, allowing more distance to be covered while they descend. Depending on weather conditions and wind speed, Marines can cover more than 20 miles while navigating their decent using a compass, global positioning system and a map. These missions are also performed at night and can be very dangerous without proper training.
“When you jump out of the plane, you’re getting a massive blast of wind. If you deployed your chute immediately, there’s the danger of damaging your canopy,” said Haley. “You need to have a small delay. Because the aircraft is moving a lot faster at that attitude, about 225 miles per hour, you need to actually get out into the air and slow yourself down first, then deploy.”
Haley added that when descending at night, some of the biggest difficulties are finding the other jumpers, getting together in a group and landing safely, because there is no real depth perception.
He also explained that many people have the misconception that skydiving from a plane gives the same stomach sensation as being on a rollercoaster. Because the plane is already moving at the same speed as when they jump, they have already reached their terminal velocity and there is not really any gravity to fight, so the only real feeling is wind.
A select few Marines were also qualifying on the Tandem Offset Resupply Delivery System (TORDS), otherwise known as bundle jumping. During these bundle jumps, Marines simulate delivering supplies into a drop zone. In this case, the bundle was a 50-gallon barrel with a simulated load of 350 pounds strapped to the Marine on a ten-foot teather. Because of the complexity of this sort of jump, only Marines with more than 100 free-fall jumps could qualify.
As word quickly spread throughout Parkes, the town where the drop zone was located, locals came out daily to watch as Marines appeared from the sky and landed at their hometown airfield.
For the Marines who were not jump qualified, Southern Canopy 2006 allowed the opportunity to sharpen other aspects of their Marine Corps training. Non-parachute qualified reconnaissance Marines and prospective reconnaissance Marines did training focused on patrolling and patrol-based operations, land navigation, communications training as well as survival and field skills training at Jervis Bay.
“The reconnaissance field requires the mastering of these skills to ensure the success of the mission,” said Stokley, a former active-duty scout sniper who taught some of the land navigation and patrolling package during Southern Canopy 2006. “The training here at Jervis Bay has helped refresh the headquarters Marines and also helped prepare myself and a handful of other Marines awaiting the Basic Reconnaissance Course.”
He also stated that maintaining proficiency with these skills is a very important part of reconnaissance training. The Marines need to know exactly what to do and how to do it in case they are deployed.
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