Treejumping
Encyclopedia
Treejumping is a form of parachuting
, into a forest
or jungle – typically, from a relatively low altitude
. It is generally considered to be a particularly dangerous form of parachuting. Treejumping is also especially damaging to the parachuting equipment.
In the United States Army
, there is one company of combat engineers, Bravo Company of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne), trained to intentionally jump into forested areas in order to create drop zones for follow-on forces. The 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) recently transformed changing Bravo Company (Combat)(Airborne)(Rough Terrain) to the 57th Engineer Company (Airborne)(Sapper)(Rough Terrain). However, the 27th Engineer Battalion was officially reactivated on Feb 11, 2011.
Selected members of the United States Army Special Forces ("the Green Berets") are also trained in rough terrain parachuting. SF units such as the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Washington maintain relationships with local U.S. Forest Service smokejumper organizations, which affords unit members the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest rough terrain parachuting techniques.
Smokejumper
s train and equip themselves for tree landings to fight forest fires.
37 Soldiers from the 57th EN CO exited a C-23 Sherpa
over Luzon Tree Drop Zone, located in Fort Bragg, NC. Three Soldiers from the 161st Equipment Support Company also participated. The 161st ESC supported the Rough Terrain operation by providing a large detail to recover parachutes stuck amongst the trees. CPT Benjamin Shean, Commander of the 57th EN CO, performed duties as the Airborne
Commander and primary jumpmaster
on the first and fourth pass. CPT Shean was the only Rough Terrain paratrooper to exit the C-23 Sherpa twice.
All paratroopers landed within the boundaries of the drop zone and assembled in the South East corner of Luzon Tree Drop Zone. Numerous soldiers who landed in the trees found themselves suspended up to 40 feet above the ground. These soldiers rappelled to the ground by securing a letdown line to the risers of their MC1-1 steerable parachute.
The Rough Terrain operation on 27 October was the first such operation conducted by the 57th Engineer Company since 2009. The purpose and intent of the Rough Terrain operation was to demonstrate the ability to land in a tree drop zone, and the proficiency to do so safely. The 57th Engineer Company is planning multiple Rough Terrain operations in 2012 in order to build proficiency, certify more soldiers as Rough Terrain, and continue to train the full spectrum of Rough Terrain operations. Training for the Rough Terrain operation was conducted at the United States Army Advanced Airborne School in September, 2011.
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
, into a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
or jungle – typically, from a relatively low altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
. It is generally considered to be a particularly dangerous form of parachuting. Treejumping is also especially damaging to the parachuting equipment.
In the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, there is one company of combat engineers, Bravo Company of the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne), trained to intentionally jump into forested areas in order to create drop zones for follow-on forces. The 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) recently transformed changing Bravo Company (Combat)(Airborne)(Rough Terrain) to the 57th Engineer Company (Airborne)(Sapper)(Rough Terrain). However, the 27th Engineer Battalion was officially reactivated on Feb 11, 2011.
Selected members of the United States Army Special Forces ("the Green Berets") are also trained in rough terrain parachuting. SF units such as the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Washington maintain relationships with local U.S. Forest Service smokejumper organizations, which affords unit members the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest rough terrain parachuting techniques.
Smokejumper
Smokejumper
A smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
s train and equip themselves for tree landings to fight forest fires.
Recent Rough Terrain Operations
- October 27, 2011
37 Soldiers from the 57th EN CO exited a C-23 Sherpa
C-23 Sherpa
|-C-23B/C:-See also:-External links:*****...
over Luzon Tree Drop Zone, located in Fort Bragg, NC. Three Soldiers from the 161st Equipment Support Company also participated. The 161st ESC supported the Rough Terrain operation by providing a large detail to recover parachutes stuck amongst the trees. CPT Benjamin Shean, Commander of the 57th EN CO, performed duties as the Airborne
Airborne
- Music :* Airbourne , an Australian hard rock band* Airborne , a jazz band based in Connecticut* Airborne * Airborne * Airborne...
Commander and primary jumpmaster
Jumpmaster
Jumpmasters are the expert Paratroopers in an Airborne unit who train and teach the military techniques for jumping from airplanes. They are responsible for transforming Soldiers who enter Army Airborne School into Paratroopers and managing Airborne jump operations in Airborne units across all...
on the first and fourth pass. CPT Shean was the only Rough Terrain paratrooper to exit the C-23 Sherpa twice.
All paratroopers landed within the boundaries of the drop zone and assembled in the South East corner of Luzon Tree Drop Zone. Numerous soldiers who landed in the trees found themselves suspended up to 40 feet above the ground. These soldiers rappelled to the ground by securing a letdown line to the risers of their MC1-1 steerable parachute.
The Rough Terrain operation on 27 October was the first such operation conducted by the 57th Engineer Company since 2009. The purpose and intent of the Rough Terrain operation was to demonstrate the ability to land in a tree drop zone, and the proficiency to do so safely. The 57th Engineer Company is planning multiple Rough Terrain operations in 2012 in order to build proficiency, certify more soldiers as Rough Terrain, and continue to train the full spectrum of Rough Terrain operations. Training for the Rough Terrain operation was conducted at the United States Army Advanced Airborne School in September, 2011.
Treejumping in fiction
- In The Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William...
(1954), a character is killed during a World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
treejump. - In Rambo: First Blood Part IIRambo: First Blood Part IIRambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 action film. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone, who reprises his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo...
, the main character treejumps into VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. - In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eateris an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...
, the player performs a HALO jump into a SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
jungle.