From: Boyd Brangham
Sent: Mon 11/24/2014 9:45 AM
Subject: Jump School Ft. Campbell
I was in Airborne Class #3 at Fort Campbell in July 1956. I was assigned to “D” company 187th ARCT in April 1956. Helped re-organize the 101st Airborne Division around June 1956. I was later transferred to “A” Company 501st Airborne Signal Bat. Best 3 years of my life was 1956 thru 1959. Airborne All The Way to this day.
I forgot to mention in my first email that the old 187 ARCT area became the 327 AICG area after the 101st Airborne Division was re-activated in June 1956. I then became part of “D” Company 327 AICG after graduation from Jump School and before being transferred to 501st Airborne Signal Bat.
I am including a photo taken of me before my first jump during Jump School 1956.
picture is MIA
Boyd Brangham
Aurora Flight Sciences
Avionics Technician
730 530-1979/1072
From: Dennis Sheridan
Sent: Tue 7/26/2011 5:01 PM
Subject: 101st History
Questions:
At Fort Campbell in the 60’s, say 1964
1) Could a leg get his Jump Wings at Fort Campbell?
2) Was there a jump school at Fort Campbell?
3) If there was a jump school did they have 34′ training towers?
4) If there was a jump school did they have 250′ training towers?
5) Was there a training setup called the “Windmill”?
6) Was the 101st know as the Atomic Division?
I would appreciate any help.
Dennis Sheridan
From: a327noslack
Answers to Dennis’s questions.
1. NO the Jump School at Ft. Campbell closed in mid SPRING 1962
2. YES the physical school was still there but no cadre or training-all training and certification moved to Benning
3. YES they had 34′ towers. My platoon sergeant, former JS cadre, put me out of them as a LEG LT in JULY 62 before I went to Benning to jump school in AUG 62.
4. NO on 250 foot towers, they were ONLY at Ft. Benning JS.
5. NO on the windmill that I can recall today.
6. NO on Atomic Division. It was one of the PENTOMIC Divisions from the late 50s till mid to late 63 when it went to the Brigade system vice Pentomic Battle Groups.
Hope this helps.
Larry
A327NoSlack
From: wildbill_abu_1st327th
1966 there was a jump school at Fort Campbell.
I’m sure it was there in 1964 also!
Went to Basic there in 66.
We were all “LEGS” coming outta basic and went immediately to 101st Jump School there.
THEN on to A I T!
They had 34′ or 40′ plus towers. Mock up or actual tail of sections
*** No 250 ‘ towers!
** Don’t remember anything called “The Windmill”!
*** Don’t remember the 101st being called “The Atomic Division” !!!!!!!!
We were told that 1966 was the First year they had opened up and used That Jump School since WWII!
We made all 5 of our qualifying Jumps there on an LZ that paralleled the Air Strip!
I’m told that LZ is now covered with buildings!
Wild Bill
From: lawrence thomas
Tee Thomas Here, I keep reading about Windmills. I think they might be thinking about a wind machine. They used a big wind machine to show how to recover from being draged. This was done at Bragg, I finished Jump School April, 1960
From: plum2atee
In 1964, about March, I arrived at FT Campbell. There had been a jump school but it was not active while I was there. There were 34′ towers and I don’t remember if there was 250′ towers. I never heard of windmill training or the term Atomic Division. I do remember Recondong, and a Golden Eagle in a very large cage near the 502nd barracks. His name was Sgt Strike! That’s all I remember.
Jerry Aggson
“B” Co 1/327
From: rwbfdman
SGT. STRIKE…WAS STILL THERE IN 66……….I WAS IN A CO. 1-502
From: rwbfdman
they did have jump school at campbell in 1966 when i was there
rw
From: plum2atee
It was there but definitely not in use!
From: JOHN PAGEL 2ND
The Jump School at Campbell closed end of the 50’s or very early 60’s. I went thru Benning in July of 63. The Jump School facilities were used by the Jump Master School that was on post, they did have the 34 foot tower but no 250 tower. A leg prior to the school being moved to Benning went thru the Jump School on post and then was assigned to a unit. We had a chaplain assigned to the 3rd. Brigade in 64 that was a leg and it took three try’s for him to complete Jump School at Benning, kept breaking things, but he did make it. The “Atomic” may have come from the division being set up as Pentomic organization or that we did have tactical nukes in the division, never heard anybody call it the Atomic division. No idea what the windmill would have been.
John2
From: James Wainscoat
I went through Jump School at Campbell in 1962. We were told we were one of the last classes. Question 2: So 1964 seems unlikely. Question 1 : Only if he died and went to heaven. Question 3 & 4: there were training towers that were 250′ the first time we hit the cables. By the final jump; they were reduced to 34′. They must have cut them down at night (We saw no one shorten them.). Question 5: The training setup called the windmill was Sgt. Samanski throwing us out the 250 tower. Question 6: YES! because of the way Sgt Smanski blew up, and the fall out from it. Hope this helps. Scoat
From: jmbossi
Questions
At Fort Campbell in the 60’s, say 1964
1) Could a leg get his Jump Wings at Fort Campbell? Yes
2) Was there a jump school at Fort Campbell?
3) If there was a jump school did they have 34′ training towers? Yes
4) If there was a jump school did they have 250′ training towers? No
5) Was there a training setup called the “Windmill”?
6) Was the 101st know as the Atomic Division? Yes
From: Hannibal
SSG. Lester Montgomery
In hat helping G. D. Hana and R. K. Ritchey
put on harness for 34 ft. tower,
Ft. Campbell KY.
May 5, 1967
From: Michael C. Brousseau
These answers are from my old A Team commanders who was an enlisted man in the mid 50’s at Fort Campbell and are 100% rated as accurate.
Have a good day thinking about a better day.
PRAY FOR EVERYONE
PEACE MCB FREE TIBET NOW
LOVE OUR MONKEY & MOOSE & ME
From: 101st History
—– Forwarded Message —–
To: Michael C. Brousseau
1. The answer to the first question is NO. Ft. Bragg was the proponent for jump school after the mid fifty’s.
2. The 11th Airborne Division ran a jump school at Ft. Campbell Ky. Prior to their deployment to Germany in 1955. I attended jump school there in 1952. Ft. Benning was off and on at the time so the 11th and 82nd ran their own.
3. Yes they had a 34 ft. tower.
4. NO!! no 250 ft tower. That was at Ft. Benning. At least not during my years. And they went Air Mobile in the 60’s.
5. I don’t know what the WINDMILL is but we had the infamous WAYNE C. SMITH slide trainer. Name after General Smith who was out Division Commander at the time.
6. Yes, It was a Pentomic Division formed in to Battle Groups (meaning each group had it’s own organic Armor, artillery etc.) that could operate independently from the Division. It did not have Regiments.
I can’t remember if the Division kept any Airborne units after it was redesignated Air Mobile. I would have thought they would to maintain a path finder unit.
From: sheridan
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:25 AM
Subject:
Thank you all.
The information helped.
No Slack
Dennis
I see a post from Jerry Aggson. Were you B/1/327 in Vietnam from July 65-July 66?
If so, email me at I have some stories that mention you.
Hello
My father was in the 101st airborne division at Ft Campbell around 1966-67 & I’m doing research on the division itself & trying to find photos or information on those he may have been in the service with. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Any tips?
In August of 1956 the Jump School cadre included SGT Allen. SFC Virtue, and SFC Harjo. Wayne C Smith was responsible for the deaths during OPERATION EAGLE WING There was no Windmill training until after the deaths that resulted from jumping in extremely high winds and the inability to get out of the harnesses As i remember the deaths occurred on Suchon as the primary DZ. PENTOMIC referred to the transition from the triangular concept (three regiments) to five Airborne Infantry Combat Groups (AICG) not Battle Groups.