A U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team veteran is reflecting on the moment that changed everything—his first jump from a C-130 Hercules. In a story that resonates with anyone who has ever earned their wings, he recalls watching the first stick step out of the aircraft and thinking, “WTF did I get myself into,” as jumpers disappeared into the wind.

What began as raw adrenaline and fear quickly transformed into memories etched permanently into the senses—the smell of the aircraft, the roar of the engines, the slap of the wind at the door, and even the simple act of stuffing the canopy into the kit bag after landing. These details, he says, never leave you. Airborne becomes a part of who you are.

The veteran’s recollection accompanies a 98-second video of a mass tactical jump unfolding over alpine meadows, capturing the precision and controlled chaos of paratroopers exiting the C-130 in rapid succession.

Airborne operations are a core skill within Air Force Special Warfare pipelines. Trainees complete the Army’s intense three-week Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, where five qualifying jumps teach not only tactical mobility but also the universal rite of passage shared by generations of jumpers: conquering the “first-jump jitters.”

For Combat Controllers and other Special Warfare operators, that first leap is more than training—it’s the moment they understand what it truly means to trust the process, trust the equipment, and trust themselves. Airborne!