Fort Benning is home to the only Army airborne school.
The Army provides only one airborne school, in Fort Benning, Ga. There are advanced airborne training options available once the Army Basic Airborne Course is completed, which are also available at Fort Benning. A rigorous three-week training course for men and women is required to be airborne qualified. Training consists of "Ground Week," "Tower Week" and "Jump Week." The U.S. Army Airborne School is conducted by the 1st Battalion Airborne, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
History
The idea of an airborne unit was first suggested by Gen. Billy Mitchell shorty after World War I. His idea was dismissed, however, and the Germans and Russians experimented with the idea. The Germans were the first to use parachutes to begin assaults at the start of World War II. In the U.S., by the summer of 1940, an airborne platoon was organized from soldiers in the 29th Infantry Regiment from Fort Benning. The platoon started out in Georgia but was moved to New Jersey where jump towers were used to perform the training. On Aug. 29, 1940, the first platoon mass jump was completed in Georgia. A centralized training facility was organized at Fort Benning on May 15, 1942.
Purpose
The purpose of the Basic Airborne Course is to teach the soldier how the use of the parachute is a means of combat deployment. The course involves rigorous mental and physical training. The airborne soldier has a long history of being the first to deploy during combat missions. Graduates earn their "wings" at a graduation ceremony.
Location
Fort Benning is in the Chattahoochee Valley region of Alabama and Georgia. The post is near Columbus, Ga., spanning several counties.
Other Airborne Training
The Army offers advanced airborne training, including Jumpmaster and Pathfinder qualifications. Jumpmasters are the expert paratroopers in an airborne unit who train and teach techniques for jumping from airplanes. Pathfinders are those that complete instruction in advanced land navigation and advanced scouting. Both of these courses are offered at the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning. The Silver Wings is the command exhibition parachute demonstration team stationed there.
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