“What Manner of Men Are These That Wear the Maroon Beret?

They are firstly all volunteers and are toughened by physical training. As a result they have infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from well-being. They have ‘jumped’ from the air and by doing so have conquered fear.

Their duty lies in the van of the battle. They are proud of this honour. They have the highest standards in all things whether it be skill in battle or smartness in the execution of all peace time duties. They are in fact – men apart – every man an emperor.

Of all the factors, which make for success in battle, the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit will be found in full measure in the men who wear the maroon beret.” — Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

The aforementioned quote comes from World War II British General Montgomery. For me it has a very special meaning. I was honored in my military career to have been one of the “men who wear the maroon beret.” It is symbolic of the Airborne Paratrooper, also known as the Sky Soldier. This week I have had a very special privilege. I have been in Palatka, Florida, with the Round Canopy Parachute Team-USA (RCTP-USA) recertifying my airborne status. I retired having earned the Army Master Parachutist badge, the Air Assault badge, and the Navy/Marine Corps Parachutist insignia. However, it has been 22 years since I last “put my knees in the breeze” and exited an aircraft while in flight. Back in December of last year, I ran into the President of RCTP-USA, US Army retired Lieutenant Colonel Bill Markham, in the Jacksonville airport. He gave me his card, talked about our mutual friends, and invited me to join, which I did.

I am writing this missive on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, and earlier today, I completed my second successful jump, meaning I got up and walked off the drop zone, jump. I am now recertified for round canopy static line jumping. We use the SF-10A parachute, a Cadillac compared to what I used to jump, at 1250ft.

Why? I am now qualified to jump into Normandy this June for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

I sit here in complete awe reminding myself that it was 63 years ago that I was born in the inner-city of Atlanta in a “Blacks-only” hospital. Tomorrow I will be jumping from a C-47 aircraft that is 80 years old and once flew American paratroopers across the English Channel and dropped them into combat against Nazi Germany. It was that same war, World War II, in which my dad fought, and was wounded.

Why? Because we must remember to honor and preserve that which is exceptional about our country, and those who sacrificed to make it so. When I board either the C-47 Tico Belle or Placid Lassie over the next three days, I will be stepping into history. It is a history that we must never forget, especially as America is losing that generation of brave men who made it.

Sadly, this nation is forgetting. I would bet that most American college students could not tell you where Normandy is, or the significance of June 6, 1944. Yet, they can certainly tell you all about supporting an Islamic terrorist organization that killed Americans on October 7, 2023, and still holds Americans hostage. Speaking of Americans being held hostage, I went to college at the University of Tennessee earning my undergraduate degree and my commission as an Army officer. This week I jumped with nine men, original Operation Detachment Delta — yes, Delta Force — special operators who were involved in the planning of the rescue operation of the American hostages held by Iran. Funny how history has a way of repeating itself.

I am quite sure the typical detractors reading this missive will question why a Black man would find this moment special? “After all,” they might say, “West, those were all white boys!” Nah, they were soldiers and paratroopers. Men who set the conditions for me to earn my silver wings. I am also celebrating the 555th Parachute Battalion, the famed Triple Nickel. Some folks get all wide-eyed over Wakanda and the Marvel comic book character Black Panther. Well, that is fiction, but the real “Black Panthers” were the Black paratroopers of the Triple Nickel, also known as the Smoke Jumpers who fought against the incendiary balloons the Japanese were releasing over the Pacific NW. Funny, now we have China floating balloons over America. Ya just gotta ask: did anyone recognize the 555th during Black History Month?

Another example of our failure to remember to honor and preserve.

I am looking forward to jumping into Normandy. I have heard so many stories of how the exploits of our soldiers have been passed down by generations. This is something we are failing to do in America. Just this week, the United States Military Academy has decided to no longer use the motto, “Duty, Honor, Country. Yet, they wonder why recruitment is low. I’m sure they do a great job of having lectures and seminars, like the recent one at the US Air Force Academy, on LGBTQIA+ programs by a biological male Lieutenant Colonel dressed up as a female. Something tells me that would not have gone over well with the Toccoa Mountain Boys.

I’m guessing most of you all are now searching “Toccoa Mountain Boys” online!

America has a rich history of everyday ordinary men, and women, doing extraordinary things. The men who stepped onto the Tico Belle and Placid Lassie 80 years ago were such men. Men of whom General Montgomery spoke. Now the kid from the Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta will get to walk in their footsteps, and jump as they did. Perhaps at some airshow here in America, I will have the opportunity to exit those aircraft in my World War II paratrooper uniform and tell some young American kids and adults why we must remember.

For me, it is a lasting tribute I make to my own member of the Greatest Generation, my dad, US Army Corporal Herman West, Sr.

Steadfast and Loyal.