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When Stop was the most Feared word I ever heard
by Gregory Krumme
Student Tarrant County College
I will relate to you the story of when Stop was the most feared word I ever
heard. While I was in the U.S. Army, I was an Airborne Scoutassigned to the only
(at that time – Deactivated now) Airborne Armored Battalion in the ‘Free World.’
The full unit designation was C Company 3rd Battalion (Airborne) 73rd Armored
Regiment. The battalion was making a training jump into “Holland Drop Zone.” I
was the number 6th man in the starboard stick (stick – line of jumpers), on a
C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft. While on the final approachto the drop zone
everything was operating per procedures as usual. The Jump Masters and the
Safeties stood up, and shouted “Ten Minutes.” Then the Jump Masters gave the
sequence of commands of “Stand Up, Hook Up (static lines to overhead cable),
Check Equipment, and Sound Off for Equipment Check.” The Safeties moved
down the lines checking jumpers. The side doors opened and you could almost see
the wave of excitement and nervousness flow through all the jumpers. Jump
Master hung out the doorto check the aircraft and its approachto the drop zone.
The Jump Master step back from the doorand yell the command “Stand in the
Door.” The red light turns to green and the Jump Masters yell “Go, Go,”and the
Jumpers start their exits out of the aircraft. While I was halfway through my exit I
heard a command of “STOP!!!” As I was halfway out of the aircraft there was no
stopping.
As I exited from the aircraft, the fear of the different types of failures ran
through my mind at light speed. Foremost was the fear of being a “Towed
Jumper.” A towed jumper is one where the static line hooked to the aircraft does
not deploy the parachute and jumper becomes towed and bounced against the skin
of the aircraft. It was with great relieve that I felt that violent opening shockof the
parachute. I then made a complete check of my parachute and my harness and
equipment. I found no faults with any of them. I looked over my shoulder and the
aircraft was banking away from the drop zone and the doors were closed. I looked
below me and my fellow jumpers seemed to be ok. Slightly confused I prepared
myself for landing.
As I checked my rate of descent, it was all of a sudden that I noticed that the
first and lowest jumpers were flying latterly across the drop zone at very high rate
of speed. It was at that time that I came to the realization why the command of
Stop was given, high ground winds on the drop zone. I later learned that the wind

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gusts were exceeding 45mph. I grabbed and pulled down on the left front of four
risers to spill air out of the parachute to make myself speed in the opposite
direction of the wind direction. It was my hope and my plan to counteract the
speed of the wind by doing this one riser slip. I released my rucksack on its 15 foot
lowering line, I then prepared for what I knew would be a rough landing. As I
neared the ground my rucksack found one of the few bushes on the drop zone.
Then, the all of a suddentug caused the riser to be pulled from my hands. I was
then slammed across the drop zone on my 4th point of contact (my backside), like a
rock skipped across a bodyof water. I released one of the risers from my harness
and it snapped around with a crack sound like a gun shot. I got up with my
backside hurting like it been burnt. I got my parachute gathered up and was trying
to make in off the drop zone when a Hummer pulled up and asked if I was ok. I
said, that I was not sure and my backside hurt, they got me on the Hummer and
took me off the drop zone. I know walking hurt but that ride did hurt worst. I was
checked out by the medics and they sent me to a Physician Assistants to have me
checked out. I was given a two week profile (Limits what you can and cannot do).
I was informed I had a bruised tailbone. A month later I was jumping again and it
still hurt somewhat for approximately 3 months.
To finish my story, it was and is a painful end, not just a joke. When I left
the military and returned to Texas and went to the Waco VA Hospital to be
evaluated for service injuries. It was there after all the x-rays and scans that I
learned that I did not bruise my tailbone, but that it had been a spiral fracture. This
was evident from the x-rays of my lower back that showed a calcium deposits
spiraling around my tailbone. So I hope you can see that this was truly a time when
Stop was the most Feared word I ever Heard.