August, 17, 1943
Johnny Newfeild, PFC 101ST Airborne
Johnny was turning 19 years old in just one week and he had recently enlisted in the 101ST airborne, against his mothers wishes of course. He had actually found basic training quite easy, then again he thought most things were easy he grew up on a farm in Kansas and did a lot of manual labor for his family, dropped out of high school to help support his family after his older signed up for the marines in 1941. He was relatively handsome brown eyes, dark hair, and built like an ox from the farm work. But on august, 17TH his life was about to be turn upside down, this was the day of his first every full height training jump they had repelled down walls and practiced jumping but now it was for real. Everyone checked off the equipment like the all important parachute and there boots, helmets, you no the works.
There was only 20 guys in Johnnys plane, one of the hundreds of very appropriately named C-47 Skytrains. They were all nervous until the Skytrains started to roll down the tarmac, then the training kicked in, and from there it was just a long wait. "Is everybody happy" the sergeant said laughingly. Then got to the business of explaining what they have to do "hook up, that means hook your static line to the over head rail." That's when the light turned green and the sergeant pushed the first rookie out the door, Johnny was about 15TH in line. He jumped.
He felt an icy blast when he jumped but that was expected, there was something wrong though. His static line had came unhooked, he panicked, then calmed down and pulled the line for his reserve chute. The silk from his reserve spilled out but didn't unfold right and wrapped around his legs, the risers swung around his neck, and the connecters cracked his dome, the suspension lines were tied in knots around his legs and arms. The canopy became a shroud he hurtled towards the military base below. He thought about all the things he'd loved to do back in Kansas, that he would never be able to do again. His girlfriend he left to go fight in the war, which he would never get to see.
When he hit the ground, the ambulance was on the spot, the medics were running around trying to clean up the blood and gore that was left in the wake of his fall. This is the story of Johnny Newfeild the paratrooper that wasn't. His comrades there were heard to say "A hellova way to die".
Gory gory what a hellova way to die gory gory what a hellova way to die gory gory what a hellova way to die he ain't gonna jump no more.