An official Army article describes a fascinating tradition of the Army honoring the patron saint of paratroopers, Saint Michael, with a parajump training event:

The Saint Michael’s Jump is meant to celebrate the airborne community’s patron saint and promote spiritual resiliency across the Division.

Perhaps most interesting is the fact the jump is explicitly a chaplain’s event:

[T]he Saint Michael’s Jump is significant in several ways, starting with the way a paratrooper qualifies to get on the jump.

“You have to go through a spiritual training event with your unit chaplain,” said [Chaplain (Col) Randy] Griffin… “That could be a physical fitness spiritual event or some other type of formal spiritual fitness event…”

Then on the day of the jump…the chaplains have an opportunity to help instill encouragement, hope and courage into their paratroopers. Sometimes this is through prayer, sustained airborne training or when they perform jumpmaster duties during the jump.

And, of course, there are direct analogies to the military profession and the Christian walk:

“The Scriptures say ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ for ‘With God all things are possible,’” said [Chaplain (Capt) Hank] Mauterer. “If you make sure you’re properly connected, to God and family, when you’re jumping out of an airplane in flight you can boldly leap forth with confidence and defeat the enemy.”

Well said. Read more.

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