fazer1sniper Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Last nite I made it home from an 1827 mile ride.My oldest daughter was graduating US Army Airborne school and with her being a second generation paratrooper and Special Ops Command and fifth generation Army, I felt the pull to go down and pin her jump wings.My ride started about noon Wendsday.After my late start I made it to South Carolina day 1. The weather hit in WV on the way down and I pushed threw it and the bike ran great. Extra gear and mods to the bike worked out well. One of my fuel stops on the way...My morning of day 2 started with reloading the bike, chain maitanence and coffee.I got in Columbus Georgia Thursday about 2 pm, rode round the post some and the kids last jump, that was schedualed Wendsday, postponed to Thursday, got kicked back again due to weather. New plan was kid was jumping Friday and would grad on Fryar Drop Zone inside Alabama. Due to this change I grabbed a room and waited till the AM.Friday weather sucked too. I was on the drop zone by 09:30.I did pass an old Slick on the way and it looked like a great photo op...No rain but low ceiling. Aircraft due to be loded at 10 am were pushed back to after 3. This allowed my old paratrooper ass to crash out a bit.Finally the bird started dropping the paratrooper students on their final jump. Not to long and the kid was hauling her grear back to the AA.One all the class was on the DZ, they collected their gear and graduated on the drop zone.This was pretty awesome. The company commander called out all parents or grandparents who were Airborne and had us form oup on him. Then he ordered all second and third generation paratroopers to fall out of formation and fall in on their family members. I was able to pin the kid on Fryar Drop Zone with my Blood Wings from 21 years ago. That was worth the ride right there. We were WARNED that NO BLOOD WINGS were to be given due to Pentigon policy (the old school Vietnam Vet next to me said to his grandson "wait till be get away and you'll get real wings." (this mission was accomplished back at the company area near the towers out of eyeshot by MANY of us older guys to the new troopers) We broke off from there and back to Jump School at main post. Kid out proccess the school and get ready to fly back to FT Bragg. I cruised about main post a bit. Had to take a few pictures while I waited for her to clear. We hung out for a little while, accompished our Blood Wing detail out of sight of any instructors and she made faces at my camera.She was of to the airport and I was off on the bike. At this time it was near 8pm and I made it to north GA and grabed a $40 motel.My long haul back Satuday was slammed with rain and cold starting in Virginia. But all and all I survived and it was well worth it. Poor weather and all. Great ride that covered parts of Ohio, PA, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.The bike ran great. Chain required maits on the way of course, tires got air once, The Perrelli Angel ST's were great and only one wheel skid on the rear pulling in a lot in the rain in SC one cold nite. Yeah, my ass hurts some but not all that bad. Left front turn indicator and clock and trip memory also took a dump on the way and will need attention. But for a hard pushed trip in bad weather, I'll take it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jst2fst Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Congrats for your daughter graduating airborne. Sounds like the trip was successful as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4DAIVI PAI2K5 Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Awesome man, just awesome!! Thank you to you and your daughter! Well done sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolsdime92 Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Thank you to you and your daughter! Glad you had a safe trip and the bike ran well. Did you do all that on a stock seat?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilbit Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Sounds like an awesome trip. Congrats to your daughter and thanks for sharing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baptizo Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 I know it had to be awesome to pin the wings on your daughter. My Dad pinned on mine and we did the blood wings right there on the DZ back in '92. BTW, some of the pictures of the base bring back memories - mostly good ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82packer Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 CONGRATULATIONS very cool. I remember your post on the FZ1 site (think that was you). That is like the ultimate way to show her pride in you. Wish her the best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokey Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 That was a really neat thing you did! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadTrainDriver Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Great thread, congratulations, and thanks for sharing!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snot Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Best thing I have read in a long time. Congrats to both of you, you both should be proud. Very nice pics too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monstrosity Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 thats awesome!Can I ask what the Blood Wings are? I think I know but want it verified. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attentiongetter92 Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 thats awesome!Can I ask what the Blood Wings are? I think I know but want it verified.It's when they pound the wings into the chest of the troop and the pins go in the body a little. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monstrosity Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 It's when they pound the wings into the chest of the troop and the pins go in the body a little.Thats what I thought... I'd be pissed if someone did that to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snot Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 Its considered an honor to have it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer1sniper Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Did you do all that on a stock seat??Yep. My first real tour of that distance. It did get to me after a while. I'm not sure a Corbin would help all that much. But I may start looking for a stock seat and have a custom one made.I know it had to be awesome to pin the wings on your daughter. My Dad pinned on mine and we did the blood wings right there on the DZ back in '92. BTW, some of the pictures of the base bring back memories - mostly good ones.Yes it was awesome and yes it was quite a memory blast.CONGRATULATIONS very cool. I remember your post on the FZ1 site (think that was you). That is like the ultimate way to show her pride in you. Wish her the best. Yep, likely me. Kid just re-deployed from Afganastan 60 days ago.Its considered an honor to have it done.Yes. It is. I'll never forget mine. But it's not something I expect civilians to understand. The entire point of Airborne is to take the fight to the enemy in a place and time they never expect. It takes a special kind of person (or crazy in some cases) to volenteer for the military, let alone Airborne, and also in her case Special Ops Command. Training can sometime be pretty damn tough. Little thing like blood wings is nothing when you think of the job that were sometimes called upon to do. It's tradition, a right of passage. Col. Charlie Beckwith, founder of Delta Force, was once questioned about the violence and injuries that his soilders were aflicted with. His responce was kinda cool. "We're not making no god damn corn flakes here!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaDoc Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Awesome and amazing, great pics and incredible ride considering the weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer1sniper Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Awesome and amazing, great pics and incredible ride considering the weather MAN! Am I glad I got in last nite and not tonite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monstrosity Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Yep. My first real tour of that distance. It did get to me after a while. I'm not sure a Corbin would help all that much. But I may start looking for a stock seat and have a custom one made.Yes it was awesome and yes it was quite a memory blast.Yep, likely me. Kid just re-deployed from Afganastan 60 days ago.Yes. It is. I'll never forget mine. But it's not something I expect civilians to understand. The entire point of Airborne is to take the fight to the enemy in a place and time they never expect. It takes a special kind of person (or crazy in some cases) to volenteer for the military, let alone Airborne, and also in her case Special Ops Command. Training can sometime be pretty damn tough. Little thing like blood wings is nothing when you think of the job that were sometimes called upon to do. It's tradition, a right of passage. Col. Charlie Beckwith, founder of Delta Force, was once questioned about the violence and injuries that his soilders were aflicted with. His responce was kinda cool. "We're not making no god damn corn flakes here!"Ah ok, that makes sense now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cOoTeR Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 That's awesome. My grandfather was 82nd during WWII. he had some crazy stories. He was in a book I'll have to dig it back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exarch Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 congrats to you and your daughter im glad you had a great trip.and stayed safe. those were some good pics, although im curious about the.right side patches(were those just for the.pics?) Or has she been.in for.a.while? if not im guessing those were your old unit patches(looked like psyops??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer1sniper Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 congrats to you and your daughter im glad you had a great trip.and stayed safe. those were some good pics, although im curious about the.right side patches(were those just for the.pics?) Or has she been.in for.a.while? if not im guessing those were your old unit patches(looked like psyops??)Left patch is your current unit, right side is the Combat Patch. Unit you deployed with in combat action or war. She wears the Army Special forces command arrow head on both arms. She recently returned from Afganistan with 3rd special forces group and is still with that unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exarch Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) Left patch is your current unit, right side is the Combat Patch. Unit you deployed with in combat action or war. She wears the Army Special forces command arrow head on both arms. She recently returned from Afganistan with 3rd special forces group and is still with that unit.I know(6y here, got out in feb) I thought she went straight from ait to jump school like alot of people(hard to get into nowadays unless its in your contract) thats why I was wondering why she had the combat patch(and unit patch) glad she made it through afghan safe, havent been myself, but cant imagine its too fun. Im sure you were worried bout her every day.edit-I got her patch confused with this psyops patch, very similar patches. Edited April 23, 2012 by Exarch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer1sniper Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) No worries Exarch. I wore both of those patches in my 14 years in the green. But we had to sew them all on then. I spent most of my time in the sniper program but my time in USACAPOC was memorible. Edited April 23, 2012 by fazer1sniper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolsdime92 Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 I like my Corbin to an exent. It keeps you off the tank, and gives you a lot more leg room. The downside is that its just alittle too firm, and a tiny bit too wide. Your welcome to sit on mine sometime, if you'd like to try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fazer1sniper Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 May have to take you up on that. oldschool. Especially if i keep touring on this bike.Thanks for the comments, gentlemen. Airborne, All the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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