In 1940, U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning saw a biopic before their first mass jump and started a certain trend. Who was the subject of the picture?
"2017 the 501st deployed to Afghanistan again as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. As Task Force 1 Geronimo, the battalion was arrayed throughout eastern Afghanistan performing advise and assist tasks. The task force was headquartered in Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad. There was no soldiers killed in action on this 8 month deployment. The unit's motto is ""Geronimo,"" a phrase that has become synonymous with paratroopers and parachutists in general. The motto dates from 1940 and the lead up to World War II. The night before their first attempt to prove the feasibility of a mass jump, some U.S. paratroopers"
"while Don sets his sights on another woman. From the signing of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in the United States and American interest of military matters, Hollywood provided a rash of films in 1941 about the various branches of the US Armed Forces, both serious and comic. In its entry in the genre, RKO sent a film crew to Fort Benning to film America's recently formed paratroopers of the 501st Parachute Infantry for their film. The founder of the American parachute troops General William C. Lee doubled for Robert Preston in some scenes. Reviewer Bosley Crowther"
"at Fort Benning watched the film ""Geronimo"" (1939). While drinking with fellow paratroopers after the show, Private Aubrey Eberhardt announced he would shout the name ""Geronimo"" when he jumped to prove he was not scared. He followed through with his promise and the practice soon caught on within the unit, becoming its unofficial motto. When the 501st was created the name was confirmed as the unit's official motto with the permission of the real Geronimo's family. During World War II, the 101st Airborne Division undertook steps to identify paratroopers from each divisional element visually. As a result, a suit from"
"been adopted for troop drops, and this platoon was the first to test it. On the eve of their first jump, the platoon decided to calm their nerves by spending the day before taking in a film at the Main Post Theatre and a night at the local beer garden. The film they saw was a Western featuring the Native American chief Geronimo. Its title is uncertain, but it was probably the 1939 film ""Geronimo"" with Andy Devine and Lone Ranger star Chief Thundercloud in the title role. On the way back to barracks, Eberhardt's comrades taunted him saying that"
"King became the first officer and enlisted man to make an official jump as paratroopers in the United States Army. On 29 August, the platoon made the first platoon mass jump held in the United States. Members of the original test platoon formed the battalion cadre of the 501st Parachute Battalion, the first parachute combat unit. The second, the 502nd Parachute Infantry Battalion, was activated on 1 July 1941. As more airborne units were activated, a centralized training facility was organized at Fort Benning on 15 May 1942. Over time, the U.S. Army Parachute School has been known by a"
"and U.S. Army. Geronimo (exclamation) Geronimo is a US Army airborne exclamation occasionally used by jumping skydivers or, more generally, anyone about to jump from a great height, or as a general exclamation of exhilaration. The cry originated in the United States. At least two different explanations place the origins of the exclamation in Fort Benning, Georgia, where some of the first of the US Army's parachute jumps occurred in the 1940s. According to paratrooper Gerard Devlin, this exclamation dates from August 1940 and is attributed to Private Aubrey Eberhardt, member of parachute test platoon at Fort Benning. The parachute"
"leadership of Major William Lee at Fort Benning, Georgia, members of the Parachute Test Platoon pioneered methods of combat jumping in 1940. In November 1942, members of the 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, conducted America's first combat jump, leaping from a C-47 aircraft behind enemy lines in North Africa. This strategy revolutionized combat and established airborne forces as a key component of our military. During World War II, airborne tactics were critical to the success of important missions, including the D-Day invasion at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, the invasion of Southern France, and many others. In Korea"
"Geronimo (exclamation) Geronimo is a US Army airborne exclamation occasionally used by jumping skydivers or, more generally, anyone about to jump from a great height, or as a general exclamation of exhilaration. The cry originated in the United States. At least two different explanations place the origins of the exclamation in Fort Benning, Georgia, where some of the first of the US Army's parachute jumps occurred in the 1940s. According to paratrooper Gerard Devlin, this exclamation dates from August 1940 and is attributed to Private Aubrey Eberhardt, member of parachute test platoon at Fort Benning. The parachute had only recently"
"biographer Kitty Kelley and the pseudonymous Cecil Adams, say the story is untrue. A military spokesman from Fort Sill told Adams, ""There is no evidence to indicate the bones are anywhere but in the grave site."" Jeff Houser, chairman of the Fort Sill Apache tribe of Oklahoma, calls the story a hoax. Reportedly inspired by the film ""Geronimo"" (1939), US Army paratroopers testing the practice of parachuting from planes began a tradition of shouting, ""Geronimo!"", to show they have no fear of jumping out of an airplane. Other Native American-based traditions were also adopted in WWII, such as ""Mohawk"" haircuts,"
"paratroop platoon. This led to the Provisional Parachute Group, and then the United States Army Airborne Command. General Lee was the first commander at the new parachute school at Fort Benning, in west-central Georgia. The U.S. Armed Forces regards Major General William C. Lee as the father of the Airborne. The first U.S. combat jump was near Oran, Algeria, in North Africa on November 8, 1942, conducted by elements of the 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. For the role of paratroopers in the Normandy Landings see American airborne landings in Normandy. U.S. Combat Jumps in WWII Paratrooper A paratrooper"
"the Army purchased two and erected them on what is now Eubanks Field at Fort Benning. Two more were later added, and today three of the original four towers are still in use. Parachute landing training was often conducted by the volunteers jumping from PT platforms and from the back of moving trucks to allow the trainees to experience the shock of landing. Less than forty-five days after it was formed, members of the test platoon made their first jump from a Douglas B-18 Bolo bomber over Lawson Field on 16 August 1940. Lieutenant Ryder and Private William N. (Red)"
"of these early experiments. The first U.S. airborne unit began as a test platoon formed from part of the 29th Infantry Regiment, in July 1940. The platoon leader was 1st Lieutenant William T. Ryder, who made the first jump on August 16, 1940 at Lawson Field, Fort Benning, Georgia from a B-18 Bomber. He was immediately followed by Private William N. King, the first enlisted soldier to make a parachute jump. Although airborne units were not popular with the top U.S. Armed Forces commanders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sponsored the concept, and Major General William C. Lee organized the first"
"title character in that film. Outside his acting career, Bennett became a very successful businessman during the 1960s. He also continued to pursue his lifelong interest in parasailing and skydiving. He last skydived at the age of 96, descending from an altitude of 10,000 feet near Lake Tahoe. Bennett turned 100 on May 19, 2006, and died less than a year later in February 2007 of complications from a broken hip. Notes Bibliography Bruce Bennett Harold Herman Brix (May 19, 1906 – February 24, 2007), later known as Bruce Bennett, was an American actor and Olympic silver medalist in the"
"Point in 1936. Among his classmates was William P. Yarborough. More than 200 soldiers volunteered to make up the first platoon of paratroopers. Ryder was selected through a competitive written exam that was scheduled to take two hours. He finished it in 45 minutes while still earning the top score. The second highest scorer was Lt. James A. Bassett who thus became the assistant platoon leader. The platoon billeted at Lawson Army Air Field near Ft. Benning. Ryder is credited with creating ""Ryder's Death Ride"" a 34-foot tower from which trainees practiced jumping. After completing a rigorous conditioning and training"
"other trainees in her squad, Brenda perseveres, determined to get Jimmy to leave the army. In the end, however, the experience leads Brenda to realise that Jimmy needs to complete the training in order to develop a closer bond with his late father, and gives him her blessing to complete the final qualifying parachute jump. She then conquers her fear of heights and also makes the jump herself. The movie was filmed on site in 1988 at United States Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia: it features the original barracks which housed the 555th Parachute Infantry Regiment (which has"
"to Fort Benning, Georgia. The site was expanded to cope with its new role. By 1943, there were 3,820 buildings on . A third of the post has been torn down within the last ten years, with another third slated by 2010. Films such as ""Goldfinger"" (1964) and ""Stripes"" (1981) have been filmed in Fort Knox. On 18 October 1993, Arthur Hill went on a shooting rampage, killing three and wounding two before attempting suicide, shooting and severely wounding himself. The shooting occurred at Fort Knox's Training Support Center. Prior to the incident, Hill's coworkers claimed they were afraid of"
"Bennington (CVA-20)"" and the Marines be recovered from sea. The Marines from Recon Platoon, MCTU #1, Major Bruce Meyers, 1stLt. Donald E. Koelper (later killed in combat as a Captain, receiving the first Navy Cross of the Marine Corps in the Vietnam War), and PFCs Kenneth Bell and Matthew O'Neill (later killed during the Test Unit's parachute training) made the jump. In August 1956, the recon platoon made its first parachute jump from a jet aircraft, the F3D-2 Skyknight. The American broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite later filmed 2nd Force Recon in their off-carrier parachute jumps from the A3D Skywarrior in"
"Parachute Nurse Parachute Nurse is a 1942 Columbia Pictures film about the Aerial Nurse Corps. The film was directed by Charles Barton. Inspired by a visit from their old friend Lieutenant Mullins, an officer in the Aerial Nurse Corps, nurses Glenda White and Dottie Morrison decide to enlist in the Paranurses, an elite unit of nurses that parachute into hard-to-reach areas to aid injured soldiers. At the training center, Glenda and Dottie are assigned to the squad led by Captain Jane Morgan. At the cantina, the two nurses befriend Gretchen Ernst, a cadet who is being ostracized because her brother"
"member of Fort Sill's Native Scouts, but he did make at least one documented attempt to escape the fort, though not in the dramatic fashion of jumping off the steep Medicine Bluffs on his horse in a hail of bullets as popularized in the 1939 movie, ""Geronimo"" (which was the inspiration for parachutists of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment to yell his name when they jumped out of aircraft). Once, after visiting the off-post home of chief Quanah Parker, Geronimo decided to escape to his homeland in Arizona late one night rather than return to Fort Sill. He was captured"
"Parachute Jumper Parachute Jumper is a 1933 American pre-Code black-and-white drama film that was directed by Alfred E. Green. Based on a story by Rian James titled ""Some Call It Love"", the screen production stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis and Frank McHugh. United States Marine Corps Lieutenants and pilots Bill Keller (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) and ""Toodles"" Cooper (Frank McHugh) are shot down in the skies over Nicaragua. When they are found drunk and unharmed in a cantina, they and the Marine Corps go their separate ways. They are offered jobs as commercial pilots, but when they arrive in New"
"the first jump. At the time there was a popular song called ""Geronimo"" on the radio, which quickly became a favorite amongst the troops. The cry became known to the commanding officer who insisted they would instead jump out and cry """"Currahee"""", the name of a mountain at Camp Toccoa, their first training camp. The paratroopers had run up and down the mountain frequently during training, the run known to the troops as ""3 miles up, 3 miles down"". There is also a third explanation. Medicine Bluffs on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where Geronimo was jailed as prisoner of war and"
"list is too lengthy to include, see: IMDb profile. Paratroop Command Paratroop Command is a 1959 war film directed by William Witney, starring Richard Bakalyan, Ken Lynch and Jack Hogan. Quentin Tarantino, an admirer of Witney's work, considers this film to be among his four best. American International Pictures originally released the film as a double feature with ""Submarine Seahawk"". Charlie is a soldier who suffers the scorn of his paratroop unit because he accidentally kills one of their own men. The film is set in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. As appearing in screen credits"
"Parachute Battalion Parachute Battalion is a 1941 war film directed by Leslie Goodwins and stars Robert Preston and Nancy Kelly. The supporting cast includes Edmond O'Brien, Harry Carey, and Buddy Ebsen. Three men enlist in the United States Army in the summer of 1941. Bill Burke (Edmond O'Brien) is doubtful of his own courage and enlists while intoxicated. Don Morse (Robert Preston), an All-American football player at Harvard, enlists to avoid being engaged to two women simultaneously, told that army privates are not allowed to marry. Jeff Hollis (Buddy Ebsen) is a hillbilly cajoled into enlisting by the daughter of"
"airborne qualified officers, he gained more rank and responsibility as the United States began to form parachute regiments and later airborne divisions. In 1941 he volunteered to organize the first group of paratroopers on skis. So in February 1942 then-Captain Gorham took his B Company, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment to Alta, Utah, where the United States was testing the concept of dropping paratroopers into the Alps behind the Germans and having them ski down to attack and harass their lines of communication. During this period Gorham is credited with having made the first parachute jump from over 10,000 feet. As"
"jumping with joy at the opportunity to shower in canteens and rest in overstuffed and comfortable USO chairs. The Army, noted the ""New York Times"", ""feels this is not good for morale as it implies that there are no showers or other comforts for soldiers in military camps."" The film starred Ronald Reagan, then a captain in the Army Air Force. Fundraising was also aided by non-USO entertainment groups. Soldier Shows, which troops – often experienced actors and musicians – organized and held their own performances, were common. The army formed a Special Services unit that organized such shows and"
"the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights."" In early 1942, Stewart was asked to appear in a film to help recruit the 100,000 airmen the USAAF anticipated it would need to win the war. The USAAF's First Motion Picture Unit shot scenes of Lieutenant Stewart in his pilot's flight jacket and recorded his voice for narration. The short recruitment film ""Winning Your Wings"" appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in late May and was very successful, resulting in 150,000 new recruits. Stewart was concerned that his expertise and celebrity status would relegate him to instructor duties ""behind the lines""."
"Strongfort (""Strongfortism""), Gustav Frištenský, Ralph Parcaut (a champion wrestler who also authored an early book on ""physical culture""), and Alan P. Mead (who became an impressive muscle champion despite the fact that he lost a leg in World War I). Actor Francis X. Bushman, who was a disciple of Sandow, started his career as a bodybuilder and sculptor's model before beginning his famous silent movie career. Bodybuilding became more popular in the 1950s and 1960s with the emergence of strength and gymnastics champions, and the simultaneous popularization of bodybuilding magazines, training principles, nutrition for bulking up and cutting down, the"
"his nose"" and that ""these men were pioneers, and pioneers never have it easy"". Wings for This Man Wings for this Man is a propaganda film produced in 1945 by the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first unit of African-American pilots in the US military formed during World War II. The film begins with dramatic footage of aerial combat over Italy, showing an outnumbered American squadron successfully dogfighting a Luftwaffe formation. When the pilots land they step out and are revealed to be black. The picture then tells the story of the"
"when World War II began. He served as a pilot, flight instructor and war correspondent. After his discharge from the Marine Corps he moved to Los Angeles, California, and for a time was a horse breeder. However, he soon became a movie stuntman doubling for Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn and John Wayne. Director Vincent Sherman recalled staging the climactic fight scene in his 1948 film ""Adventures of Don Juan"" and could find only one stuntman who was willing to leap from a high staircase in the scene. That man was Mahoney, who demanded and received $1,000 for the dangerous stunt."
"A.J. Bolton as ""dull"" and ""lacklustre"". The Marines Fly High The Marines Fly High is a 1940 action film, starring Richard Dix, Chester Morris and Lucille Ball and directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and Benjamin Stoloff from a story by A.C. Edington. In 1940, the Central American cocoa plantation owned by American Joan Grant (Lucille Ball) needs protection from bandits led by El Vengador (John Eldredge). She asks the Marines stationed nearby under the command of Colonel Hill (Paul Harvey) for help. Lieutenants Danny Darrick (Richard Dix) and Jim Malone (Chester Morris) fly a mission to seek out the outlaws."
"sending a group of officers and regular servicemen to Fort Benning, Georgia to be trained as paratroopers. By July 20, 1946. The first group under the command of Captain Albarrán López graduated paratrooper school, the second group under the command of Cavalry Lieutenant Jorge Munguía González graduated in the same year on August 3. The new unit was based in Balbuena Military Camp, carrying out their first jump over Mexican territory on September 15, 1946. The same year the army moved the unit to its new Headquarters in Puebla, Puebla giving them designation of ""Compañía Mínima de Aerotropas"" ( ""Minimum"
"and should be encouraged. Eventually the latter view won out, and when the Army's parachute infantry grew, the cry grew with it. In 1941, the Army's first parachute regiment, the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR; now called the 501st Infantry Regiment) incorporated the name ""Geronimo"" into its insignia, with the permission of the real Geronimo's family. The cry was also incorporated into the song ""Down From Heaven"" by Lieutenant Colonel Byron Paige. By then, the coverage of the paratroopers' exploits during the war had made the cry ""Geronimo"" known to the wider public, and its use spread outside the military"
"Paratroop Command Paratroop Command is a 1959 war film directed by William Witney, starring Richard Bakalyan, Ken Lynch and Jack Hogan. Quentin Tarantino, an admirer of Witney's work, considers this film to be among his four best. American International Pictures originally released the film as a double feature with ""Submarine Seahawk"". Charlie is a soldier who suffers the scorn of his paratroop unit because he accidentally kills one of their own men. The film is set in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified): A full cast and production crew"