1981 Times: Killer Wind in the Mojave

[Mcgyver]

I was in the Sinai when that happened...1st iteration of the MFO...and I remember hearing about it all the way over there. Our TOW platoons (CSC) had not deployed to the Sinai with us, and were attached to one of the units (I forget which unit) that jumped Gallant Eagle 82. Fortunately no one from CSC was hurt...but we heard about it a couple of months after it happened....

[Old All American]

I was in on that jump. It was my first jump with the Division after transferring down from Corps, what a "no-kidder." I was supposed to get assigned to B Btry but as I'd just come down from 18th FA Bde S-3 I got stopped at Battalion and put in the S-3 shop. I joke that according to the surgeon who put my head together I am a piece of 82nd Abn History the Division would sooner forget - the most seriously injured trooper who survived. He said that because I was declared dead on the DZ (I could hear the medics on the scene declare me dead) and then at least twice more in the next twenty-four hours.

Someone said there were seven killed. Actually, there were five killed that day, we lost 1LT Greg Watson, who was our CESO, I'd helped him rigg his rucksack the morning before and tried to get him to use a lowering line but he figured he'd ride it in. I jumped with MAJ Fernandez (or was it Hernandez?), and SP4 Alberto Quinones, as I remember, there was one jumper between me and Quinones, and the Major was beside him. I remember the guys teasing Quinones about just getting married and packing his wife in his rucksack for their honeymoon in California. I remember hearing she was pregnant. I've often wondered about his kid. I watched Quinones die as I was coming down.

As I recall my chute acted crazy all the way down. The opening shock came too early and was too hard. I had a crazy thought about being a towed jumper and was relieved when I looked up and saw my canopy was okay. Then I got whipped around in the air like I was being tossed and thought I'd blown a panel. Again, I checked my canopy, okay. Then it hit me - winds.

I looked down and checked my descent, I could see some poor guy in the distance land and have his chute taken off by the winds with him being dragged behind in a cloud of dust. We had a guy in B Btry who used a toy paratrooper like you buy at grocery stores to show new guys what it was like. He'd drop them in the path of a window fan he had in his room in the barracks and let them get blown against the wall. That's what happened to Quinones, I looked from the guy being dragged and checked my own descent in time to see the poor guy get slammed against a vehicle that had been heavy-dropped ahead of us. He was torn in half. His legs stayed put while the rest of him got blown across the vehicle.

By that time I was trying to slow my chute because I was coming down in a circular motion and the lower I got the faster I was going. I was able to pop my chute so I didn't land too hard, I was concerned about breaking anything because I knew if I got injured I'd be screwed. I landed like a ton of bricks but didn't break anything. I was congratulating myself on getting out of another tight spot and reaching up to pop my capewell (I had the old T-10 harness that made all the difference on that jump) when it got jerked out of my hand and I found myself being dragged across the DZ at about 35 mph. I remember doing everything I knew to do to get out the equipment but I was being pounded by the rocks choked by the dust and the stress on the capewells was too great to pop them. I tried to operate the quick release but my reserve was pulled up under my chin by this time and the safety wire was twisted and my M1950 case was in the way - you get the picture. The last thing I remember is thinking I was going to die unless something happened and asking God to take me.

Then I heard a couple medics talking. One was saying, "He's dead, let's go help someone who needs it." Kind of freaked me out because I realized they were talking about me but I couldn't tell them they were wrong.

Then I remember waking up and trying to get up but couldn't. I called for help but all I got was someone telling me from somewhere far off they were coming and everyone was hurt. Then a medic, injured himself, crawled over to me (I was in a ravine at the edge of the DZ) comforted me and raised hell till they got me out of there. I was told they declared me dead at least twice more in the next twenty-four hours and said if I lived I'd be permanently brain-damaged and wouldn't be able to stay in the Army much less jump again.

I'd had basilar skull fractures, concussion, fractured jaw, 2nd and 3rd degree friction burns on both arms from the drag, the entire scalp on the left side of my head had been peeled when my old M1942 helmet gave way under the stress of hitting a boulder head first and ripped the scalp off. And I dislocated my shoulder. I was such a mess that when my mother flew down from Ft Richardson Alaska to visit me in ICU she didn't even recognize me when she first walked into the room.

But I was able to stay in another five years, was jumping in eight months and went to Grenada with the Division. By that time I was down in B Battery where I belonged. Eventually though, the residuals of my injuries caught up with me and I was medically discharged in 1987.

I guess I live with Gallant Eagle every day, both from the disabilities that have gotten worse over time and the memories. There isn't a day goes by I don't think of Quinones, Major Fernandez, or LT Watson if I stop long enough. MAJ Fernandez died some six weeks after the accident from a blood clot that moved. I know because when he died I was on day pass from Womack and they called me in to do another scan because I had the same type of brain injuries he had.

My neice married an Air Force guy who was loadmaster on one of the C141s we jumped from, he still had problems because he lived with memories of the sounds from the DZ over his radio. He felt guilt and responsibility because he had something to do with it. I was able to help him with some that.

About two months after the accident I was in the sauna at Towle Courts. I was still on profile doing PT at my own pace so when the place cleared out it turned out I was left alone with COL Dickenson who was CO of the 2nd Bde. He noticed the nasty scar on my head (this was after re-constructive surgery left me with a silver dollar sized divot on my head, just large enough for the Division coin Gen Lindsay gave me in ICU) he asked me how I got it. When I told him Gallant Eagle, he actually teared up. He asked for the entire story so I gave it to him. Then he apologized to me and told me who he was. I'll never forget that. He said, "I'm the man who did that to you." Then here we were, a Sp4 and a full bull Colonel and I found him apologizing and explaining how he thought he had all the bases covered, had done everything according to the ASOP, but the ASOP didn't go far enough.

He did tell me if I got the name of the medic who got me help he'd get him an AAM so I went on a hunt and found the guy, he was the only black medic in the 2/325 at the time so it wasn't hard. Never was able to thank him personally with life in the Division being what it was; but got hold of him through Facebook a few years back and finally got to thank him for saving my life.

But as some have said, they did change the ASOP, but if some of you older guys will recall, in 1986 Bobby Porter had to give up command of the Division when he and a bunch of guys jumped into "35 knot" winds in Turkey. He got dain-bramaged worse than I did.

They also rushed issue of the then - new Kevlar helmets. If you ever watch Clint Eastwood's version of Grenada in "Heartbreak Ridge" one of the many mistakes in that movie was having Marines in kevlars. ONLY the 82nd had them at that time. After it was discovered our old WWII era helmets were a major cause of injuries and death the Division got every kevlar in the DoD inventory so we could switch out. Even the rangers didn't have kevlars in Grenada.

They also got rid of the old T-10 harness. I remember fighting my capewell as I was being dragged and wondering if I was doing something wrong when they didn't pop. But it turned out most of the guys injured had T-10 harnesses, most of the folks with the MC1-1B harnesses with a wire-pull capewell popped them relatively easy.

Was it a waste? I don't know, I think of all the guys we lost and whose lives changed or ruined. The TIME article mentions 150 injured. As I recall we had at least that many at my hospital, March AFB in Bakersfield, and we had guys at Loma Linda an Edwards as well, not to mention guys who were flown back immediately. There were so many who were forced out of the Army I could name - I managed to last five more years though I realize now I never really came back completely. Not complaining, I was a lot better off than many. I got five more years and made E-6 before it caught up with me. But the ASOP did get changed. Old obsolete equipment was replaced much more quickly. It may have been a case of closing the barn door after the cow got out but I have to think maybe some lives were saved - maybe more than were lost? I hope so.

This is practically my first post on this board and it looks like I've practically written a book. I apologize for going on so long. But just observed the 30th anniversary of Gallant Eagle 82 (March 30), folks have told me I need to move on, and in many ways I have, but as I said, when I get still I can see those guy's faces. So, hope it was enlightening. Sorry I rambled on.

[Ops NCO]

Excellent post.

I apologize for going on so long. But just observed the 30th anniversary of Gallant Eagle 82 (March 30), folks have told me I need to move on, and in many ways I have, but as I said, when I get still I can see those guy's faces. So, hope it was enlightening. Sorry I rambled on.

You've got nothing to apologize for.

[Gato Rojo]

Excellent post.



You've got nothing to apologize for.

Absolutely! And it's an outstanding write-up as well! Quite a read, thank you, both for your service, and for sharing that with us!

[zanshin]

x2

[subtroch]

Old All American, can I talk to you?

[Old All American]

Any time. We can exchange phone numbers through private msg if you want.

[subtroch]

Your message was good. I'm not sure I'm ready to talk.

[Old All American]

No problem. Understand. But I'm here if you ever change your mind.

[Old All American]

One more thing, actual death toll was six. Five died that day, MAJ Fernandez died later. I know some confusion was caused because I was declared dead more than once after the accident but I was out of the woods after the first 24 hours - except for the scare we had when the major passed away.

In our 320th FA mess hall we had a picture of the drop with the names of the two men we lost in Gallant Eagle 82. Sadly, a year and a half or so later it was removed. Life goes on and the Division is a fast train.

[Jm1347]

I remember this very well. I went in on Nelson DZ, I was the 41st jumper out the right door on Chalk 21 (the 1st troop bird behind the heavy drop). I hit hard and was dragged for a long way before cutting the canopy loose. At that time the chutes still had the push to release style canopy release, shortly after this they changed to the cable loop canopy release. I also remember that they had reporters from Army times in the PHA during the N-Hour Sequence, and this was something we had never seen before. We were also to that there had been high winds in the area, but that we would take off and if the winds remained too high we would land at alternate airfields along the west coast to wait out weather if needed. Mu company lost it's XO that day.

[Jumpin' Jack]

..."So, hope it was enlightening. Sorry I rambled on".

Enlighteng? Sorry? Besides the guys in my unit who related it when we regrouped out there, that was the best first hand account I have seen. No doubt in my mind you were there and got the tee shirt. Thank you for the excellent accounting of the jump.

JJ...

[jumpers-hit-it]

Old All American, wow.

[SOWT]

Lot of wind problems were terrain induced. IIRC the valley was "open" on the lead edge and narrowed as you continued on. That caused the winds to increase as you went into the DZ. I was on the 84 exercise and remember putting RAWIN (to measure upper-air winds) teams on both ends of the DZ's.

[Old All American]

Hindsight's always 20/20 but I was discussing somewhere in relation to this thread (so I apologize to those who've read this before) that the day or so before the jump we were looking at the aerial photos of the DZ (Silver) in the S-3 shop and joking uneasily about getting hung up on a mountain top. The Ops SGT for our battalion on that operation teased me (the junior jumper, I wasn't exactly a cherry but it WAS my first jump with the Division) about it being just like a tree landing, only higher. Desert winds are crazy anyway, I remember living at Ft. Carson when my dad was stationed there and those Chinook winds would come blowing throw at speeds in excess of 70 mph across the street while where we were standing it was calm and sunny. Crazy.

We all knew there was a chance of crazy weather, a lot of folks forget the space shuttle was due to land at Edwards AFB a day or so before the jump but they moved it to Texas because of the weather. I remember a lot of the guys bitterly jolkking about the weather being too bad to land the shuttle but safe enough for the 82nd to jump. We had a plan B to airland if the winds were too high and for a time it looked as if we might have to use it, but I talked to a guy who was on the DZSO team that day and he said the winds were crazy until just before we came in sight, then they died down.

The DZSO radioed the wind conditions to the Abn Cdr (I don't know if it was Col Dickenson, 2nd Bde Cdr, or Gen Lindsay, then Division Cdr) and told him the situation and asked him to make the call. From what I was told the response was, "We've been in this ----- plane six hours, we're jumping." To be fair, I think his words expressed the sentiments of every one of us. I remember the cheer that went up when the last wind reading of 4-6 knots was called out in my bird. You guys know, you're in the bird, you've chuted up, you're adrenalin's running, you want to go.

I had an extra incentive to get out of the bird in that we had POR'd (Preparation for Overseas Redeployment) the day before as prep for going on DRF and the medics decided I needed my plague and yellow-fever/typhoid innoculations the day before a major jump! I'd been having a reaction to the shots and had been running a fever, popping aspirin like candy and my fever had just broken. At one point my chief, the Opns SGT threatened to sit me down because he was afraid I was in no condition to jummp. I definitely didn't want that. After all, as I said, though I'd been on status in Corps, this was my first jump with the 82nd, how would it look for me to sit it out? Fortunately (!?) my head cleared as we got the ten minute warning and I was able to convince him I was fit to jump. But I wanted to get out of that bird, put my knees to the breeze, and get some fresh air. Ironically, I was relieved to get out of the bird. We had a news cameraman taking video of us as we exited, the first guy out the door in my bird was a cameraman from ABC who'd done skydiving photography from Wild World of Sports. He was going to shoot us on the way down. Somewhere I like to think there is video of me giving the camera a thumbs - up as I exit the bird.

The whole thing was like a circus, a big news and media event. Some of us older guys remember what it was like after Vietnam. I was too young to serve myself, but remember getting in fights at school because my dad and brother were soldiers and were over there at different times. As late as 1977 I remember being called a baby killer at JFK upon returning home on leave after two years in Germany. Welcome home.

Then came the Iran hostage crisis and how that was mishandled by our political leaders. Gallant Eagle was supposed to be a show of force that would send a message to the world the US military was making a comeback. There were several hundred reporters waiting on the DZ to take pix on the ground. If only the wind would hold - how long was needed, a minute? Two?

IMHO, that' where the hole in the ASOP literally killed us. Our DZs were some three and a half miles long, the DZSOs on the leading edge of the DZs had no way of knowing all hell was breaking loose at the other end of the DZ, miles away. No one thought to go beyond the ASOP. Six died and hundreds were mangled for life. We'll all have to live with that for the rest of our lives.