Each year on August 15, the United States observes National Airborne Day, a time to honor the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who served in airborne forces since their inception in 1940. The date marks the anniversary of the first official Army parachute jump, conducted on August 15, 1940, at Fort Benning, Georgia forever establishing Georgia as the birthplace of the U.S. Army’s airborne tradition.
The Birth of Airborne Forces at Fort Benning
In the summer of 1940, as the clouds of World War II loomed, U.S. military leaders sought to develop a new type of fighting force: paratroopers who could drop behind enemy lines and strike with speed and surprise. The responsibility for testing this bold concept fell to the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. On that hot August day, a small group of volunteers made history when they leapt from a Douglas B-18 bomber, proving that mass parachute assault was possible. Their success led to the formation of the first parachute infantry units, paving the way for airborne divisions that later distinguished themselves in every major theater of World War II.
Georgia’s Training Grounds: Fort Benning and Camp Toccoa
Fort Benning quickly became the center of America’s airborne program, home to the Airborne School where paratroopers earned their silver wings. Thousands of young men volunteered for this demanding duty, enduring punishing physical training, jump practice from 250-foot towers, and the nerve-wracking leap from aircraft.
But Georgia’s airborne legacy extended beyond Benning. At the foot of Currahee Mountain in northeast Georgia, Camp Toccoa became the training ground for some of the most storied airborne units of World War II, including the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, later immortalized as “Easy Company” in Band of Brothers. Trainees at Toccoa faced grueling runs up Currahee (“three miles up, three miles down”) and forged the stamina and teamwork that carried them into battle in Normandy, Holland, and Bastogne. The town of Toccoa embraced these young soldiers, and the mountain itself became a symbol of airborne toughness.
Together, Fort Benning and Camp Toccoa shaped America’s airborne forces—Benning providing the wings and Toccoa forging the spirit.
Airborne Valor in World War II
The paratroopers trained in Georgia went on to make history across Europe and the Pacific. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, American airborne units jumped into Normandy under heavy fire, helping to secure the success of the Allied invasion. They fought again in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and across the Philippine Islands. Their courage and determination embodied the spirit of the “Greatest Generation,” a legacy rooted in the first jumps at Fort Benning and the hard training at Camp Toccoa.
Remembering on the Georgia WWII Heritage Trail
For visitors traveling the Georgia World War II Heritage Trail, National Airborne Day served as a reminder that Georgia played a pivotal role in shaping America’s airborne legacy. While Fort Benning remains an active military installation, the Trail’s museums and historic sites, including Camp Toccoa at Currahee and Currahee Military Museum in Toccoa, shared the broader story of Georgia’s contributions to victory, from paratrooper training to flight instruction, shipbuilding, and home front mobilization.
Honoring the Greatest Generation
As Americans marked National Airborne Day, they saluted those who volunteered for the airborne ranks, men who faced the unknown with courage and changed the way wars were fought. Georgia’s role in their story was profound, and the Heritage Trail helped keep their memory alive.
Eighty years after World War II, the legacy of the paratroopers who first leapt into history at Fort Benning and trained at Camp Toccoa continued to inspire. Their example reminded the nation that ordinary Americans, when called, could rise to extraordinary heights, sometimes quite literally.