The Fayetteville Observer January 19, 2008
Parachutist died to save another
By Kevin Maurer
The Fort Bragg Special Forces soldier who died Wednesday during HALO — high-altitude, low-opening — training sacrificed himself to save another jumper, special operations sources said Friday.
The sources said the soldier and another jumper became entangled during a training jump at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport. The soldier cut away his parachute to save the other jumper, the sources said.
HALO parachutists do carry reserve chutes, but it’s unclear if the reserve played a role in the accident.
The soldier was in the 7th Special Forces Group. The soldier’s name is being withheld pending notification of his family.
In a typical HALO exercise, the parachutist will jump from the aircraft at about 12,000 feet and open his parachute at a low altitude. A HALO jump is used to secretly slip soldiers into enemy territory.
The technique gets jumpers out of sight in a hurry, and they are less vulnerable to dangers or radar detection, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
One drawback is that jumpers exit the aircraft over enemy territory, making the aircraft vulnerable to air defenses.
© Copyright 2008, The Fayetteville Observer
