WM enact aWW The worst pol know ya David Linton of 15 Maple ltlt It Hztlllt Identified last weeks entry in the Know mm or as the Cairn at Midhurst If you think yin 1mm entry then send your name address and plinm Know Your ounty Box 370 Barrie Ontario Lint here will receive Sunday roast from Trimm Market Barrie Examiner Photo mpers in spa 743 Petowowa in special course do was watch CFB BURDEN It was like one of those fleeting moments in dream It happened so fast that you wondered if it really happened at all For few seconds it was there in front of you as you watched in fascination eighty rippling white parachutes bursting open in the sky and gracefully floating to earth But as quickly as they had appeared they were gone Before you knew it the 80 men had bundled their parachutes into knap sacks and were heading towards wooded area across the field Those men who had come and gone in an instant were student jumpers from the Canadian Forces Base in Petawawa Thev were taking part in paratroop practice at CFB Borden as part of special 12day course The course is compulsory for all men in the airborne regiment As platoon commander Richard Hatton explained those 12 days are very physically demanding For instance it involves running four miles every morning in fact running everywhere from am to pm Theyre pretty beat really tired by the end of the day says platoon commander llatton by nine oclock their bed starts looking really good it means not going out at night if they are wish had their stamina Story and photos by Marina Quaitrocchi Each man carries an emergency parachute rifle magazines winter sleeping bag 15 pounds of rations extra combat clothing snowshoes in short everything needed for winter survival while making his drop As part of the drill several parachutes are dropped with 200 pounds of winter supplies including toboggans and cooking stoves everything for 10 men during the cold of an Arctic wmter For Bert Nicks of CFB Petawawa it was his seventh jump since his airborne training began at the end of August Every jump is different for me theyre all exciting he said Todays was beautiful loved it The worst part of it all is the plane ride Everybodys always anxious to get out Most of the guys hate flying Theyre dying to get out for just that one minute When asked it he was nervous before his first jump Nicksan swer was definitely not The training is so good you just naturally do it he said Youre all psyched up for it youre just not nervous From 1000 feet in the air it takes about one minute to reach the ground One minute may seem like long time but Nicks says there are so many things to do and watch for during that minute there isnt time to be nervous on your first jump He decided tojoin the airborne regiment after seven years in the air force because he felt it was different type of challenge They teach you to be alert all the time he says youre always on your toes its super challenge both mentally and physicallyno doubt about that go sat Course was very physically demanding 17 ciol l2do For moment tin Parachutes Pm ochutes are packed away