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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Paratroopers remember the jump into Iraq |
| 2004-03-24 |
| Great story that Iâve psoted about before. Here are some quotes: The March 26, 2003 jump was recently classified as a combat jump and the paratroopers who participated in it will now be able to stick their chests out with pride showing off the gold star, or âmustard stain,â that crowns their parachutist wings. âThe mood in the plane was really serious. It looked like everybody had their head in the game,â Allen said. âI was concentrating on what I was supposed to do once I got on the ground.â Sixty seconds later, the Globemasters, empty of their cargo, were climbing out of the valley and the Iraqi army had a thousand more American Soldiers to deal with. âWhen light came and I saw the country, it was nothing like I thought Iraq was going to be; it was beautiful,â Allen said. âThe Peshmerga guys brought us firewood, rice in an old oil pan, bread and cheese, and some mystery meat,â Holbrook said. âWe didnât care what it was; we were hungry.â âI was impressed by their generosity,â Deaconson added. âThey had nothing to give, but what little they did have, they would always share. I mean, here they are bringing us bags of bread and tea when we started running low on water and MREâs.â âEvery time I see pictures of it or hear someone talking about it, I just keep thinking, âwhat a day!ââ exclaimed Allen. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #2 From time to time I watch Kurdish TV. One day there was a kind of mini-documentary with no speech, only songs who was broadcast in a loop. In it there were images of partisans marching in the mountains, of demonstrators apparently confronting the police and of a sky full of jumping paratroopers. It seems the Kurds remind you. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-03-24 1:57:55 PM |
| #1 Great read. When I read that the Peshmergas were next to the paras in the dark & they didn't know it, I wondered what the Peshmergas must have thought when they woke up & saw those guys on the scene. |
| Posted by: Rawsnacks 2004-3-24 10:10:30 AM |