I got to jump out of a Blackhawk for the first time today! (PICS)

[USArmyParatrooper]

22. For me jumping always is.

I volunteered to go airborne to conquer my fear of hights. It didn't work!

For some reason jumping from the Blackhawk was considerably less scary, although I wasn't completely without fear. You would think the opposite since you're sitting on the edge looking down. I don't know what it is, but jumping from fixed wing at night with full combat load is the worst for me.

Since my first jump in Airborne school I got myself through it by thinking of it as fear training. I presumed I would eventually see combat, and I would be expected to be able to think, function and do react when faced with fear. When you're jumping it's very important you follow the right procedures and do the right thing, not only for your own safety but for those around you. It's the same in combat. At the very beginning of my first deployment there were moments when I experienced fear, but I still had to be able to function and do the right thing.

After a couple months in theater things that used to scare me before had considerably less of an affect on me. But no matter how many times I jump, I never get used to it. Go figure.