Excitement and Adrenaline to the Maximum

Skydiving has been the best thing I've ever done in terms of feeling the thrill of getting out of a car window like a piece of paper but this time out of an airplane. The fact that I was a cadet in the Army took me as a proof of courage to take the combat tactical parachuting course and the emotion is immense when knowing that you will experience something that many people cannot do.

With only 20 years of age I arrived in Maracay, Aragua State - Venezuela and the paratroopers commanded us with a beautiful welcoming ceremony but what we (my companions and I) did not know, is that a full month of blood and destruction of the body with the strongest physical workouts I have ever imagined doing in my life. After leaving the event, we went to the place where we were staying "Military Aviation Technical Academy" and we got together with some colleagues and during that day it was total relaxation. The next day they woke us up at 0500 hours because we had to return to the paratrooper brigade to start our first day of training. Being approximately 0630 hours we did a staff check training and they left us at the order of the instructors.

This is how our training begins:

The instructor says: Good morning gentlemen, starting today I welcome you to your best instruction.

We were all scared but motivated because looking to the sides thinking about what we would do.

Let's start with the warm-up "hands to the waist", shouts the instructor, for a thousand squats, begin.

And everyone yelling "1,2,3,4,5,6 ...", believing that he would possibly get tired after 100 squats, well, it was not like that! We did a thousand exact squats to warm up, Wow, I felt horribly tired, my legs were already hurting. After warming up, we began to jump parachute "Hands on the neck in a squatting position, jumping as far as you could and you would fall back in the same position", of those we did 500 parachutes ... my knees hurt carbonated and since then I already know why the instructor welcomed us to the best instruction.

After running many laps around the training ground, the 1800 hours were done and I finished the day with a jog of 8 kilometers on a mountain, I know it sounds a bit exaggerated but that is how it was, my dear readers. It was time to go back to the bedrooms where we rested, we made dinner and they sent us to rest.

Unfortunately, I had to sleep on a bunk, on the top bed, and guess what? I couldn't get up because of the pain in my legs and a partner helped me up. I was in as much pain as if a vehicle had stepped on half my body and fractured my femur. That same night I drank painkillers, rubbed menthol cream on my legs, and lay down to sleep. The next day the matter was worse, they were no longer laughter, they were no longer happy faces, they were faces of fright, fear, pain and tension. Let's start the warm-up "says the instructor", today we will not do 1000 squats, we will do 1100 ... And all my colleagues made a gesture of fatigue so great that it caused them to run away.

We started the warm-up and the pain was unbearable, the pain was so great that there came a time that we did not feel our legs and we unconsciously carried out the movements. After warming up, they took us to sit in a place where there were training machines, parachutes, harnesses or other things that we would use to jump out of the plane. After seeing the instruction we went to have lunch and later to rest. In the afternoon we did the same as last day, we ran 8 kilometers and returned to the camp.

After having done the same progressive routine for a week we had already adapted to the pain, we were stronger, and we became stronger every day. After practicing the jumps of a tower of 50 meters into the void, we adapted to vertigo, it was exciting to be able to perform those jumps. I realized in those moments that my life had changed, my mind was stronger, my life was stronger, my body was stronger and the desire to graduate was even greater.

"The day of the big jump arrived, to graduate we had to jump three times from the plane."

1. First jump: The C-130 plane arrived, lands at the airport and approaches where we were and looking at our faces we realized that our lives could go away in seconds if something went wrong. We got on the plane, we started and at the height of 2200 meters the jump master asked me: Are you ready to jump cadet? And my answer was: Yes my instructor. Get up says the jump master. Jump !!! And without thinking I launched myself, I felt that my life passed in a minute and when I opened my eyes I was already in the air, flying over the beautiful sky of my Venezuela. I took a big hit when I fell to the ground, I did not know how to land. 2. Second Jump: It was similar to the first one but I was much more afraid because I found out that there was an accident in one of the planes that was with us. The line that held the parachutes broke and some of our colleagues went into free fall and the save was the reserve parachute. I threw myself and this time I fell wonderfully.

3. Third jump: I was no longer afraid, I jumped again without incident. I wanted to continue jumping but the course had already finished, I graduated with three jumps. The next day the graduation ceremony was held and I received with blood my wing on my chest that accredited me as a military paratrooper and I felt so proud of myself that I cried internally thanking God who did not allow me to die during the course. Unfortunately one of my colleagues passed away due to fainting in midair. I hope you liked my story, I would like to tell you some things in more detail but I will leave it for the next one. Greetings my dear readers. Ptte. Pérez Solórzano Heiven.