Help on unit Airborne Paratroop Navy what is going on?

[warguy]

I picked up a neat small grouping last week in an antique store but I cant figure out what this unit is. There are a lot of Navy personnel represented here but also guys with chutes. I received 3 8X10 photographs two of which I depicted here. The third photo is a duplicate of the first but with each man numbered on the front and identified on the back. At the end of the list of names is the remark "first jump-Feb. 23-1944".

 

I also received carbon copies of a US Navy Honorable discharge dated 1945 from a man listed as having completed the Navy parachute rigger school.

 

So who are these guys? Navy airmen, US Para marines with Navy riggers? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kevin

[Salvage Sailor]

I'd say that this is a WWII USN parachute rigger graduation class or outfit

 

Making a jump with a chute packed by a classmate was a requirement in the course

[warguy]

Thanks SS, sordid theorizes themselves jump?

[Salvage Sailor]

For reference on Parachute riggers training.....http://www.nasflmuseum.com/david-epstein.html

[warguy]

Thanks SS, sordid theorizes themselves jump?

Sorry auto-correct strikes again and I didn't catch that you had earlier said that they did in fact jump. Thanks for the hyper link also, I never knew they were required to jump themselves. This is all starting to make a lot more sense now. Kevin

[Mapman]

Not sure where this was taken. Years ago I made 2 jumps with Navy/Marines at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. I was assigned at Bragg, but on Special Duty at Ft Dix. I needed to make a "pay" jump. I was going to drive back to Bragg, but a fellow I worked with was sure the Navy had jumpers at Lakehurst. Sure enough, they did. I got approval from Bragg to make a jump. It would,make me the last man in the Army to make an official "pay jump" from a WW2 C-47. When I chutes up, I mentioned to the jumpmaster, that I was missing the safety wire that goes through the gate on my reserve. His answer, "It will work if you need it". I didn't question it again. I needed my $55.00! When we boarded, I was the last man on. It seemed that they wanted their Public Affairs to take a photo of me? Up in the sky, I was to be the first jumper. The door was open, and the red light on. I looked down. I asked the jumpmaster, "How,high are we"? He replied, "5,000 feet". I smiled and said, "nice ride"! He asked me how high we usually jumped? I said to him, "800 to 1,000 feet". He was a bit shocked. And I said, " this is nice, a Hollywood jump, (no combat gear) and 5,000. Then he asked "how many jumps I had"? I told him it was 40-something? He hollered at the others "Watch this man here, he has over 40 jumps". I didn't know what that was about, I figured, "joke time". I jumped and about 5 minutes later, I was on the ground. I was asked, "do you want to go again". My reply was "of course, I'll jump all day at 5,000 feet and Hollywood! I went again. Got on this open-bed truck back to the huge "Hindenburg Hanger". There was a big Maltese cross on the roof. Anyway, this guy asked how many jumps I had? He must not have known I was Army, as we were wearing no insignia or tapes on those uniforms, and the Marines had recently adopted them. When he saw my black pin-on wings, he said: "Why are you wearing those wings"? I replied, "Oh, I'm in the Army, not the Marine Corps. We don't get those pretty gold wings for making 5-more jumps". A few minutes later, he said to me, "oh, I see you have my reserve"? I didn't understand. And then he pointed at the white ducking with a number stenciled on the flap. I then asked him, "How many jumps you got". He held his hand up and his fingers as he said, "THAT WAS MY SECOND"!!!!!!! And I jumped that reserve, missing the safety wire "twice". I didn't ask, "who" packed my main! I got my jump manifest and mailed it to Bragg. I jumped with this kid that packed my reserve, on his first jump! And whoever packed my main, his first jump as well. Never again did I jump at Lakehurst NAS. So even then, these guys didn't get jump qualified at Ft Benning. They did "one-stop" training at Lakehurst for their para packers. Next time I jumped was at Ft Devens with 10th SFG!

[warguy]

That is an interesting story. Thanks for sharing!