35 Marines Earn Their Jump Wings At Sattahip Base

[Rimmer]

35 Marines earn their wings at their Sattahip base

SATTAHIP: -- 35 Royal Thai Marines were presented with their wings on Wednesday following a parachute display at the Marine Corps base in Sattahip. Presiding over the event was Vice Admiral Pongsak, Commander of the Royal Thai Marine Corps who began by witnessing all 35 marines jump from a plane and land on the beach

Full story and pictures: --HERE

-- Pattaya One 2011-07-14

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[surayu]

Hey "wings" comes up cheap in Thailand In Italy you will need at least 3 jumps for the "civil" qualification, 5 for the military one and 3 at night for the "night wings".

And how "comfy" to choose a soft ground as a sandy beach, well, i guess they were wearing flip flops, so i wouldn't further comment on that

[manarak]

Hey "wings" comes up cheap in Thailand In Italy you will need at least 3 jumps for the "civil" qualification, 5 for the military one and 3 at night for the "night wings".

And how "comfy" to choose a soft ground as a sandy beach, well, i guess they were wearing flip flops, so i wouldn't further comment on that

You are right, as you, I am sure sure sure that was the only jump for these marines during their 6 week training course.

[petercool]

And just where does it say that they jumped only once in their 6 weeks course ?

The article refers to their display jump only.

[manarak]

And just where does it say that they jumped only once in their 6 weeks course ?

The article refers to their display jump only.

That's what I was pointing out, Sherlock.

[surayu]

And just where does it say that they jumped only once in their 6 weeks course ?

The article refers to their display jump only.

Do you have an habit of not reading titles or just prefere to understand only the parts that suit you?

And to stay with your way to see things....."and just where does it says that they jumped any other times during their 6 weeks course?"

[SteeleJoe]

Hey "wings" comes up cheap in Thailand In Italy you will need at least 3 jumps for the "civil" qualification, 5 for the military one and 3 at night for the "night wings".

And how "comfy" to choose a soft ground as a sandy beach, well, i guess they were wearing flip flops, so i wouldn't further comment on that

Some people try so hard to criticize everything they possibly can about Thais/Thailand they wind up looking really foolish -- both for the clumsy attempts and for the obvious compulsion to make them.

Just a general observation, of course.

[by the way, I can say from experience back in the day that the Thais had a very similar jump qualify process to the US (not by accident) -- can't say if that's changed though. And the Italians weren't any tougher I've been told by people I served with who earned their Italian wings.

Landing on a beach? Why not? Not necessary to try and land on a surface with an increased hazard of injury and thus sideline newly trained troops. And a beach ins't necessarily easier than an average DZ.]

[SteeleJoe]

And just where does it say that they jumped only once in their 6 weeks course ?

The article refers to their display jump only.

Do you have an habit of not reading titles or just prefere to understand only the parts that suit you?

And to stay with your way to see things....."and just where does it says that they jumped any other times during their 6 weeks course?"

Answer the question -- where does it say that?

Petercool:

To be more precise, I'd not cal it a "display jump" but the graduation jump. Most, perhaps all, Airborne schools have them -- they are big deal to the graduates and the usual tradition is to get pinned with your wings (for some, "blood wings") almost as soon as you secure your chute and get to the formation at the edge of the DZ.

[Rimmer]

Just out of interest I often watch them from my deck, they fly over in what looks like a military version of an F27 then jump in sticks of seven, maybe over Utapao I can't tell from where I am. They will then circle over my house and do another run, sometimes this goes on all morning, quite good to watch them. They use the standard military pattern chutes.

[petercool]

Thanks.

Yes, I am sure it was graduation day jump and used the word display as that was the word used in the article.

I know that wings are awarded to Police, for example, for a one day introductory course with one jump from a high wall purely for the unlikely case they might need to do any jump but that is hardly a Marine 6-day course where those guys will no doubt do many, many more jumps during it and one can expect them to do many more while serving as Marines.

And, as you point out, my question went unanswered.

[surayu]

Thanks.

Yes, I am sure it was graduation day jump and used the word display as that was the word used in the article.

I know that wings are awarded to Police, for example, for a one day introductory course with one jump from a high wall purely for the unlikely case they might need to do any jump but that is hardly a Marine 6-day course where those guys will no doubt do many, many more jumps during it and one can expect them to do many more while serving as Marines.

And, as you point out, my question went unanswered.

As there is no claims of any other jumps being made, i wouldn't be surprised if wheren't any others, as with the example you made, you can clearly see there is something been done "differently" here, or you consider that being normal?

[SteeleJoe]

Thanks.

Yes, I am sure it was graduation day jump and used the word display as that was the word used in the article.

I know that wings are awarded to Police, for example, for a one day introductory course with one jump from a high wall purely for the unlikely case they might need to do any jump but that is hardly a Marine 6-day course where those guys will no doubt do many, many more jumps during it and one can expect them to do many more while serving as Marines.

And, as you point out, my question went unanswered.

Didn't mean to nitpick -- and hadn't noticed the use in the article, my mistake -- but I thought "display" lended to the idea that there was little substance to the exercise.

In fact, Jump School might not include as many jumps as you think -- it's expensive and time-consuming to get a class through a school and each drop costs in both time and money.

We did Ground Week with hundreds of jumps off a 3 foot platform to practice PLFs and thus reduce chance of injury on a real jump (though most of Ground Week was about weeding people out with nearly constant PT); then Tower Week with jumps from a 35 foot tower and a 200 ft tower (the former more scary form most people than you might think) to learn exits and landings respectivelyr; then Jump Week that included 3 day jumps and 2 night.

Airborne troops typically get their experience when they get to their respective units (some jump a lot and others only enough to remain qualified -- in the Ranger Bat we jumped a LOT but I knew some guys in the 82nd whose units did the min. required to get airborne pay). Though many who earn wings only get them for the prestige of having them on their uniform/and or to have that training on their record and thus advance their careers (usually officers) and then don't even serve in an Airborne unit.

EDIT for typos and forgotten sentence.

Edited July 18, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[surayu]

And a beach ins't necessarily easier than an average DZ.]

At this point i believe you haven't got a clue of what are you talking about.

FYI, between fellow military, the ones which had been assigned to an easy landing area as a beach were always looked as the luckyest ones, better you change your sources my friend.

[petercool]

Thanks again.

Your comments underscore my own in that the detractors who sneered at these Marines and their wings have little idea of what is involved in a 6 day course.

I have no direct knowledge of the Thai routine but must assume that most of their Marine training is for real circumstances rather than just for cosmetic purposes.

[SteeleJoe]

And a beach ins't necessarily easier than an average DZ.]

At this point i believe you haven't got a clue of what are you talking about.

Well, you are wrong.

FYI, between fellow military, the ones which had been assigned to an easy landing area as a beach were always looked as the luckyest ones, better you change your sources my friend.

It depends -- which is why I said "not necessarily". Is a beach better than an airfield? Sure. Is a hard-packed beach worse than a grassy field with softish soil? Nope, don't think so. (Full disclosure: I've not jumped onto a beach but I have jumped on to sand and fields and airfields...)

And Marines using a beach -- anything strike you there?

Don't need sources. Speak from experience (though decades old admittedly).

EDIT:

I'm not going to get into a pointless "Yes, I did "/No, you didn't" with you about something neither of us can prove (and why would I care what you believe?); the fact remains, your attempt to ridicule these Marines without due cause looks really lame.

Edited July 18, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[surayu]

a military version of an F27

That must save them quite a bit in fuel's cost, compared to the Hercules C130 and G222.

Perhaps they could save even more by simply hang-gliding, 2 people on it, the pilot and the jumper

[SteeleJoe]

In my day we sued C-130s, C-141s and even Hueys (which allowed for a quick turnaround and multiple jumps on one day).

But what difference does it make what aircraft is used in terms of the skill or courage required?

[surayu]

I've not jumped onto a beach

Ok that it's self explanatory, thanks, give it a try and then report back when you are done, at least you will realize the mistake you made.

I'm not going to get into a pointless "Yes, I did "/No, you didn't" with you about something neither of us can prove (and why would I care what you believe?); the fact remains, your attempt to ridicule these Marines without due cause looks really lame.

I might be getting old, but i can assure you that during the military service, cameras had already been invented, just to say one. And to say 2, better you stick to what you know....

Why do you think i am ridiculing them? i am just thinking on how things went there, compared to the rest of the daily living here, how things are done and the widespread professional attitude you can find all over, why the military should be any different?

[SteeleJoe]

I said I've jumped onto sand. Not all beaches are the same, are they? Some are hard-packed.

And Marines -- beaches: get the connection, yet?

I might be getting old, but i can assure you that during the military service, cameras had already been invented

Are you freakin' kidding me? Are you actually suggesting we exchange photos to settle this puerile thing you are trying to do?

No, thanks. You win. I made it all up. You are the only one who knows about military jumps or (allegedly) has ever done them.

[surayu]

...

no thank you SteeleJoe, i am not interested either in some penpals with you, maybe if you were a Johanna.....ah ahh. I just mentioned that as an answer to the "impossibility to prove it" you wrote, get it?

Anyway, no i don't get the connection between "Marines-Beaches" do you care to further elaborate on that?

[Dag]

I wonder how many forgot their chutes....but passed anyway.

[surayu]

I wonder how many forgot their chutes....but passed anyway.

[SteeleJoe]

...

no thank you SteeleJoe, i am not interested either in some penpals with you, maybe if you were a Johanna.....ah ahh. I just mentioned that as an answer to the "impossibility to prove it" you wrote, get it?

Anyway, no i don't get the connection between "Marines-Beaches" do you care to further elaborate on that?

Alright, I'll rephrase -- impossible to prove shorty of photographic evidence, which I'm not willing to provide. Oh, wait, I changed my mind:

I'm the guy who already released his ruck. (I got a bit overexcited)...

And here's me after the jump

Proof?

And:

Marines --> Navy --> Navy Base --> Beach

[Dag]

Yeah....so they don't have to say ooh...argh ...after landing on something hard.

[manarak]

errr... some replies in this thread are worth saving to the harddisk for later use against their aúthors!

[SteeleJoe]

errr... some replies in this thread are worth saving to the harddisk for later use against their aúthors!

Uhmm...you think perhpas you are a bit too into this whole forum thing? Cuz the comment above....think about it.

Anyway, I live in fear now and I will confess: in the post with the pictures, I lied. The first two are not me.

[JohannaScott]

Thanks for using my name albeit without permission, but the story does state that this jump was the culminate = climax of their 6 week course. Should you wish to see skydiving on a regular basis come to Au Udom and although it includes civilians jumping there are a lot of Thai military and police who regularly go to keep current.

[manarak]

errr... some replies in this thread are worth saving to the harddisk for later use against their aúthors!

Uhmm...you think perhpas you are a bit too into this whole forum thing? Cuz the comment above....think about it.

Anyway, I live in fear now and I will confess: in the post with the pictures, I lied. The first two are not me.

It was meant tongue in cheek.

Maybe I better add that in a footnote in my future posts.

Warning: this post may not be meant litterally.

[SteeleJoe]

Solly. Hadn't had my coffee yet.