LJT Mission & Objectives
Since our beginning in 2006 the Liberty Jump Team has evolved and expanded the original objectives laid out by our founding members. The Liberty Jump Team has a multi-faceted mission and objectives for future success and growth.
First and foremost our mission and objective is the focus on perpetuating and preserving the memory of all our Military Veterans and remembering the sacrifice of those who never returned. With that focus, our Veterans Affairs Team is dedicated to helping World War II Veterans return to Europe and the battlefields they fought on, at no cost to the veteran. These trips are filled with emotions as these veterans recall events that took place during battles, remember friends and those that were lost. While visiting in Europe, the local population comes out to celebrate the veterans and thank them for their sacrifices in liberating their country from tyranny. Not only do we host trips to Europe but we host trips around the United States for our veterans from World War II to our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Working with our veterans is truly a humbling experience and our number one focus.
Our second mission and objective is to bring history to the people. Along with our Veteran Affair Program we also participate by setting up military static displays at schools, museum, airshows and other locations. Many times, we invite veterans from World War II, to current active duty military to help make presentations, and assist in educating the new generations. These displays allow individuals to get up close and handle some of the artifacts, which always engages the younger crowd. Being able to see, touch and handle these items, visitors get a better understanding of our military, and history. By teaching history, we help fulfill our first objective by perpetuating and preserving the memory of all our veterans.
Our third mission and objective is to bring history to life by conducting Airborne Operations on historic drop-zone from historic aircraft. Liberty Jump Team was formed in 2006 after the Mayor of Carentan France wanted to have an airborne demonstration during the D-Day Anniversary festivities. Since 2006, Liberty Jump Team has been performing military style static-line parachute jumps from World War II C-47 aircraft on historic drop zones used by paratroopers during the Invasion of Europe, D-Day, on the night and early morning hours of June 5 / 6, 1944. Liberty Jump Team is one of the only teams that is allowed to jump on these historic drop zones after receiving special invitations from the mayors of the villages and towns in France. Our team also participates in the Operation Market Garden (A Bridge Too Far) Anniversary festivities every year. During all the events, our members are dressed in authentic-looking M-42 World War II style paratrooper uniforms. These events draw crowds that can reach 10,000+ members of the communities. Liberty Jump Team also participates in airshows around the United States and Canada. At these airshows, promoters want to give the crowds an authentic looking World War II Airborne Operation and Liberty Jump Team has become a crowd favorite. Airshows also draw crowds of tens of thousands of local members of their communities, and of all ages. Our interactions with the crowds have allowed them to get up close with the jumpers to ask questions and see our gear. Many times, Liberty Jump Team is invited to return year after year to perform for these Airshows. Not only does our team perform at airshows, but we are the only team currently allowed to conduct Airborne Operations at Fort Bragg, All American Week, and Fort Benning, National Airborne Day. These operations are special events hosted by the US Army. By conducting Airborne Operations, we are fulfilling both our first and second mission to honor our veterans.
Our fourth mission and objective is to continue to grow and keep the Liberty Jump Team at the forefront of keeping the memory, history and our military in the mind of every person we meet. With our success we now have international membership and many members have become jumpers in our Airborne Operations. To keep our number growing, the Liberty Jump Team conducts an annual round canopy static-line airborne school course (8 days) in Texas to teach new jumpers the skills and accuracy needed to jump safely, and conducts a refresher course for active-duty or retired military members who have not jumped in several years. The founding members’ vision was to create a team of commemorative jumpers, who would honor not only the brave men and women of World War II, but veterans of all U.S. conflicts, by performing military static-line parachute operations. The founders envisioned a team that could professionally jump into the most difficult of drop zones with accuracy and safety. Since the team’s inception, Liberty Jump Team has never had a safety incident or fatality. This is due to our highly qualified jumpmasters who have collectively performed thousands of jumpmaster and safety duties during both military and civilian airborne operations. Every one of our jumpmasters has either completed the rigorous U.S. Army Jumpmaster course at Fort Benning, Georgia, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command or the 82nd Airborne Jumpmaster courses at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Some of our Air Force Jumpmasters have graduated the Air Force Rescue Jumpmaster Course, and European Jumpmasters completed their respective countries’ military Jumpmaster courses, so they all bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. All students must complete a rigorous and physically demanding school as well as complete a minimum of five (5) qualifying jumps in order to receive their Liberty Jump Team wings. Many of our jump qualified members are highly qualified Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen that collectively have thousands of both military and civilian parachute jumps within their perspective branches and organizations. Our team members come from all walks of life and have served in very distinguished units such as the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), the Ranger Regiment, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, United States Air Force Pararescue (PJ’s), Combat Weather, Security Forces, Raven. Military Police and United States Marine Corps Force Recon units. We also offer a Drop Zone Safety Officer (DZSO) course to qualify our drop zone crews, using the U.S. military drop zone safety course as our model. All of these training programs help make Liberty Jump Team an organization that holds safety as its priority.
By working diligently to fulfill each of our stated missions and objectives, the Liberty Jump Team will be operating long into the future.