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Show . AMERICA IN ACTION i PARA-MARINES To the United States marine corps, a parachute is no longer a mere safety device. It is an instrument of warfare that may well decide the success or failure of a campaign. The marine corps was one of the first to recognize the potentialities of the" parachute for use in offensives offen-sives against enemies and now "Para-Marines" are one of the corps' greatest striking units. Both men and munitions are landed land-ed by parachutes, facilitating the formation of the troops for assault and the establishment of defensive outposts. Once on the ground the "Paratroops" "Para-troops" are formed into combat units according to pre-arranged plans, swiftly assemble their weapons, weap-ons, and go into action against designated des-ignated objectives. The present highly developed system sys-tem of-training parachute troops was instituted by the marine corps in 1940, after several years of intensive experimentation. The course is about six weeks long. The men are first taught to pack their own 'chutes. They then study landing methods and go through daily conditioning exercises to strengthen their leg, back and abdominal muscles to withstand the shock of landing. Actual manipulation of the parachute para-chute is practiced in 250-foot jumps from huge steel towers. The Para-Marines Para-Marines are then taken aloft in planes and descend from an altitude alti-tude of 1,000 feet As this training progresses, the transport carriers fly lower and lower until the troops are bailing out only 300 feet above the ground. The uniform of a Para-Marine is a practical many-purposed ensemble. The chief article is a heavy cloth jumper with large pockets. The loose-fitting trousers tuck into leather leath-er boots. Marines wear three pieces of headgear when jumping. A leather helmet that looks like an aviator's headpiece 'fits over the head first. Over this goes a plastic helmet. Finally, a steel helmet fits over all and covers the back of the head, the sides of the face and the forehead. |