Sgt. Kaity Andersen gets set to jump out of a C-130 Hercules on March 14, 2024, during the 173rd Airborne Brigade's all-female parachute jump near Vajont, Italy. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
AVIANO, Italy — More than 100 female paratroopers from six battalions of the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed in Germany and Italy joined up at Aviano Air Base for an airborne operation made up entirely of women.
On a bright day with an occasional breeze, soldiers leaped from two Air Force C-130 cargo planes flying near the northeastern town of Vajont. Their silver, mushroom-shaped parachutes all deployed, giving the soldiers a hazy view of the Dolomite Mountains as they descended upon the green fields of Drop Zone Juliet.
Cpl. Jordan Flees, an information technology specialist who was jumping for the final time before heading to a non-airborne unit, said on Thursday that capping off her run as a “sky soldier” in female company was empowering.
“I feel lucky to have this as my last jump, where I have a bunch of supportive women alongside me,” said Flees, a member of the 54th Engineer Battalion stationed at Caserma Del Din in Vicenza.
Flees said her job is full of mental challenges. Putting on the gear and parachuting out of a C-130 helps her overcome those, simply because jumping out of an airplane is in itself overcoming a mental barrier, she said.
The feeling of moving through the air is what she will miss when she moves on to her next assignment, Flees said.
Two U.S. Army paratroopers apply camouflage to their faces March 14, 2024, during the 173rd Airborne Brigade's all-female parachute jump near Vajont, Italy. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
Spc. Olivia Alimanestiano has her chute checked prior to an all-female airborne operation March 14, 2024, by the 173rd Airborne Brigade near Vajont, Italy. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
Two U.S. Army paratroopers fold their parachute retrieval bags ahead of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's all-female parachute jump near Vajont, Italy, on March 14, 2024. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
Sgt. 1st. Class Alina Zamora prepares her rucksack before taking part in the 173rd Airborne Brigade's all-female parachute jump near Vajont, Italy, on March 14, 2024. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
The timing of the jump came as Women’s History Month is celebrated in the United States.
The event was a testament to the women in leadership roles who care about the development of female paratroopers, said Sgt. Kaity Andersen, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the operation.
Besides those in the skies above Aviano, the jumpmasters and safety personnel participating in the operation Thursday were women as well.
Parachutes fill the skies March 14, 2024, during an all-female jump by 173rd Airborne Brigade soldiers onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
A 173rd Airborne Brigade soldier descends into the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, on March 14, 2024, during an all-women parachute jump. (Brian Erickson/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade leave a C-130 Hercules during an all-female jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, on March 14, 2024. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
A soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade glides toward the ground March 14, 2024, during an all-female jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Some soldiers leave the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, as others gather parachutes and still others float to the ground during an all-female jump Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Army Sgt. Katherine Johnson, a member of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, made her 20th jump Thursday, March 14, 2024, during an all-female jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Army Sgt. Katherine Johnson, a member of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, gathers in her parachute following an all-female jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. It was Johnson's 20th jump. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
