20th SFG(A) Conducts Water Jump
There are still two Army Special Forces Groups aligned to the National Guard instead of the Active Army (up until 1993 there were also two aligned with the Army Reserve), 20th Group being one of them. These guys, like the active duty SF units, have been at the tip of the spear in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as contingency operations around the globe. Most are made up of former active duty SF soldiers and they’ve had to really struggle for recognition with their active duty brethren, often having to prove themselves because of their “nasty guard” status.
That aside, a big component of training in an SF unit is airborne operations and in this video you can see what goes into a water jump. Water Jumps are SO much fun, particularly because you don’t really have to worry much about hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Normal airborne operations can be dangerous during the landing phase, often resulting in injuries like sprained ankles or even crushed vertebrae. A water jump like these guys are performing is called an “administrative jump” – so no combat equipment is used and there isn’t any tactical movement to an assembly area. Best of all, the jump is conducted in daytime. In other words these guys get to have a lot of fun on this day and as a veteran of about a dozen water jumps I can say that I’m quite jealous!
Click here to check out the WMV video…