A Delta Force parachute saga

A the time, Delta Force’s Clarke H. was known for bragging to his mother and new wife about what an expert parachutist he was. And one day, he came upon an opportunity to bring them both to Ft. Bragg during a Unit parachute training operation to show off his prowess under the parachute canopy.

As the worst of luck would have it, he encountered what we called “squirrelly,” i.e. unpredictable, winds. These resulted in him landing sprawling-face-first into the red clay of St. Mère Èglise Drop Zone. Despite the disaster of a landing, his mother and wife waved and cheered, basking in his glory as a master parachutist, not knowing one way or the other if his was a typical parachute landing.

Clarke, knowing what was in store for him, delivered his typical message to me that he reserved for all occasions, including botched parachute landings: “George blows!”

The gallant Clarke H. had masterfully and completely convinced his wife and mother that an ace parachute landing begins with the feet and progresses directly to the face – his having plowed respectfully into the grounds of the vaunted drop zone.

“But, the other jumpers seem to all be landing on their feet, honey…” his wife remarked puzzled.

“Those fools, they’ll all be killed eventually if they don’t embrace the proper safe landing attitude for these high performance competition canopies,” lamented Clarke.

Clarke’s eyes locked with mine on the day of that parachute landing demonstration he so aptly performed for his family, knowing good and well that the event would quickly conjure up a skillful cartoon for my repertoire of cartoons that I continuously produced to commemorate occasions such as this one.

(Cartoon courtesy of the author)

“Be kind, George,” Clarke lamented to me with his dirt-smudged face and lightly bloodied nose. He knew full well that as soon as I returned to my team room from the jump operation, pen would meet paper to forever capture his moment of glory in the squadron cartoon tome.

“When am I ever not kind, Clarke??” I mused.

And yet it happened…

By Almighty God and with Honor,
geo sends

Feature Image: U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), conduct an airborne operation onto Juliet Drop Zone, Italy, Jan. 20, 2026. The training enhanced airborne proficiency and ensured Paratroopers remain ready, lethal, and disciplined in support of contingency operations. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joskanny Lua)

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