PEACHTREE CITY, USA – Aventure honors U.S. airborne forces by celebrating National Airborne Day on August 16. This day commemorates the first official U.S. military parachute jump, which took place in 1940 in Aventure’s home state of Georgia at Fort Benning.
The jump was performed by volunteers from the 29th Infantry Regiment, who became the 48 members of the U.S. Army Parachute Test Platoon.
More than 100,000 paratroopers were formed and assigned to airborne divisions during World War II. Pivotal to US military operations, they fought in key battles such as Arnhem, Salerno, Sicily, and D-Day, often behind enemy lines.
The US military would add airborne forces to the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, where they would see action in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The day was created by President George W. Bush on August 16, 2002, and officially recognized by the Senate on August 3, 2009.
“As we commemorate National Airborne Day, let us pay tribute to the spirit of the U.S. airborne forces and honor the pioneers who took that historic leap 83 years ago,” said Ron Taylo, Aventure’s operations manager for military sales.
