Air Force Featured Stories

Brothers jump together for first time

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Michael Stuart
  • 86th Airlift Wing
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  In southwest Germany, half way across the world from where they grew up, two brothers had the opportunity of a lifetime.

International Jump Week is a five day event, held on Ramstein Air Base and Alzey drop zone, that allows paratroopers from nine different nations the opportunity to build camaraderie amongst each other and learn one another's tactics. Tech. Sgt. Brian Angell, 435th Contingency Response Group personnel parachute program manager, was the event coordinator.

"It was my job to bring all of the partner nations together for this event, plan how we're going to set up all of the equipment and line up the aircraft for transport," said Angell.

With IJW being an event that parachutists from around the world attend, Master Sgt. Kevin Angell, Special Operations Command Korea, NCO in charge of communications directorate and Brian's older brother, decided to join his brother. He flew out from Korea and the two jumped together for the first time.

"I got to do the entire air operation with him, exit right before him and meet up with him in the drop zone afterward," said Kevin Angell, "It was a great jump."

Not only was Brian Angell the event coordinator, he was the drop zone safety officer. The job of the DZSO is to ensure the air operations are safe, winds are tolerable and check to see if all of the equipment is set up.

"Knowing my brother was on the ground doing his job, I had complete confidence that when I exited the plane, everything was going to be done right," said Brian Angell.

Not only did the brothers have the support of each other, but they also had their father, Sam Angell, a retired, Air Force master sergeant, visiting from Florida to watch them jump.

"What's special for me is that I was able to do this entire airborne op (operations) with him throughout the week and then today I was able to go out right in front of him and have him follow me out," said Kevin Angell. "We were also able to have our father out here to watch us land and walk off together making it a very special day for the entire family."