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 Rhode Island National Guard Holds 25th Annual International Military Parachute Competition By Public Affairs Office
                Rhode Island National Guard
 **Oldest and largest such competition in the world welcomes 56 U.S. and international teams Rhode Island National Guard Public Affairs** NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI - Cloudless blue skies, comfortable temperatures, and 249 eager, willing and smiling military paratroopers proved to be the perfect recipe for success as the 25th anniversary edition of the Rhode Island National Guard's international military parachute competition. Leapfest XXV went off without a hitch here on Aug. 11. Fifty-six teams, comprised of four jumpers each, invaded the grounds of the University of Rhode Island in North Kingstown, R.I, each looking to pick up top team and individual honors in the world's oldest and largest international military parachute competition. Giving this year's competition its international flavor were representatives from the United Kingdom, Thailand, Greece, Macedonia, Germany, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and El Salvador. The rest of the field was comprised of U.S. military representatives from Army and Air Force active duty, Guard, and Reserve units, and a pair of teams from Natick Labs, the U.S. military's main parachute testing facility. Much to the chagrin of their older sister-service's airborne units, team and individual top honors this year went to representatives of the U.S. Air Force. Top team honors went to Detachment 2, 66th Training Squadron, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla., while top individual honors went to Tech. Sgt. Jason Meinders of Detachment 1, 548th Combat Training Squadron, Fort Polk, La. National Guard teams took five of the top 10 spots. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 104th Infantry Detachment (Long Range Surveillance) placed teams in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th positions while the Rhode Island Army National Guard's Special Operations Detachment-Global secured 9th place. The competition's objective is for the jumpers, who are all released from CH-46 Chinook helicopters at 1,500 feet above the ground, to land on a large orange X located in the drop zone. Judges time each jumper from the moment he or she hits the ground, gather up their gear, and run to and touch a disc in the middle of the X. The total time for all four team members, over three jumps, is added up and the team with the lowest overall cumulative time is the winner. Det 2, 66th Training Squadron's winning time was a paltry 73 seconds while Tech. Sgt. Meinder's individual time was an unbelievable 7 seconds. This year's top international finisher, who also took overall second place honors with a time of 83 seconds, were the representatives from the 68th Special Forces Brigade, Bulgarian Army. Leafest was conceived by a small group of Rhode Island National Guard airborne soldiers in 1982. Retired Sgt. 1st Class Robert Perry, head judge for the competition for the past five years, was among that first group to organize Leapfest I. "Some of us from Company A, 2/19 Special Forces Group (Rhode Island Army National Guard) had participated in a few competitions and we simply decided that we needed to start a competition here in Rhode Island," said Perry. "We decided to capitalize on our great Rhode Island seafood and offered a clambake to those few early competitors. With no budget to speak of, we dug the clams up ourselves and had the 861st Engineers (Rhode Island Army National Guard) dig a pit for us. Word soon got out and before you knew it, we went from 10 teams sleeping in our Quonset huts at Camp Fogarty to 56 teams sleeping at the University of Rhode Island dorms," said Perry, with the smile of a proud papa as he surveyed the drop zone. The first international teams began arriving in 1985 and have been a staple of the competition ever since. Brig. Gen. Plamen Torkalev of the Bulgarian Army, who accompanied his Special Forces team, expressed his admiration for the professionalism and hospitality of his Rhode Island National Guard hosts. "We compete in many parachute competitions including two others here in America but this one in Rhode Island is the one we enjoy the most," said Torkalev. "The competition is most challenging and the Soldiers of the Rhode Island National Guard are the most gracious host," he said. He also noted that his team, who collectively have over 7,000 jumps between them, would be recognized by the Bulgarian Army for their success in the competition and would also be feted by the Mayor of Plovdiv, where the unit is located, upon their return home. Though the competition formally takes place on only one day, most international teams arrive days before and stay as long as one week after it. In addition to the many social events scheduled for them during this period, including a colorful formal reception at the historic and beautiful rotunda of the Rhode Island Statehouse (where they were formally welcomed by Rhode Island Lieutenant Gov. Elizabeth Roberts), a number of Friendship Jumps are also conducted. International team members are indoctrinated with U.S. military airborne operations and safety procedures during the first Friendship Jump while simultaneously earning their American jump wings. Advance joint airborne training is the focus of the post-event Friendship Jump during which the American hosts are exposed to various international operational tactics and techniques. Though technically a competition, Leapfest really provides a venue for bonding between elite airborne members of varied U.S. and international airborne units. This aspect of Leapfest was never more obvious than when one of the German team members fractured his leg some 10 or 12 years ago and was transported to Rhode Island hospital for treatment. "He met a nurse there and they struck up a pen-pal relationship when he returned to Germany. She went over for a vacation and today they are married and living back here in the U.S.," recalled Perry, while laughing at the memory. Though an interesting story, injuries at Leapfest are few and far between, according to the commanding officer of the competition's organizing unit, 56th Troop Command, Rhode Island Army National Guard. "We are proud of our safety record and when you consider how many moving parts it takes to successfully hold this event--that is no small accomplishment," said Col. Charles Petrarca, before rattling off the numbers involved with running this event. "Six hundred and eighty-six chutes, over 700 jumps, four Chinooks from the Connecticut and Pennsylvania Army National Guard, a Huey Med-Evac and a Blackhawk from our own 1/126th Army Aviation. This just doesn't happen overnight and the one overarching theme we stress is SAFETY in all aspects of the competition. "But once again, this year has been virtually injury-free and another great success for the Rhode Island National Guard and the 10,000 or so Rhode Islanders who come out and enjoy the spectacle for the day. It certainly is a credit to the unsung heroes on my staff," concluded Petrarca. The competition concluded with a post-competition social gathering at a swank, sea-side location in historic Newport on Saturday evening, followed by a Sunday morning formation at Camp Fogarty where the individual and team winners are recognized before their airborne comrades. The formation ceremony was concluded with the presentation of the vaunted American jump wings to the international competitors while their U.S. military peers provided thunderous applause in recognition of their accomplishment. Another successful Leapfest for the Rhode Island National Guard has concluded. After-action reports will follow and Leapfest XXVI planning will start shortly. But for today, airborne operators from around the country and world will share one final moment of pride and accomplishment that only their kind can truly understand.  LEAPFEST XXV Final Results Teams Det 2, 66 Training Squadron, Pensacola NAS, FL USAF (Active Duty)
	68th Special Forces Brigade, Bulgarian Army
	Division of Special Operations, German Army
	Det 1 548th Combat Training Squadron, Fort Polk, LA, USAF (Active Duty)
	104th Infantry Detachment, (Long Range Surveillance) (PNANG)
	22nd Training Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, USAF (Active Duty)
	104th Infantry Detachment, (Long Range Surveillance) (PNANG)
	104th Infantry Detachment, (Long Range Surveillance) (PNANG)
	Special Operations Detachment-Global (RIARNG)
	104th Infantry Detachment, (Long Range Surveillance) (PNANG) Individuals: TSGT Jason Meinders, Det 1, 548 Combat Training Squadron, Fort Polk, LA, USAF (Active Duty)
	SSgt Brandon Klien, Det 2, 66 Training Squadron, Pensacola NAS, FL USAF (Active Duty)
	MAJ Younko Youchev, 68th Special Forces Brigade, Bulgarian Army
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