Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, watch their comrades parachute onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, during training Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

The second week of October was unseasonably warm around Aviano Air Base, Italy, with several warm days of almost cloudless skies.

That made it just a bit easier for hundreds of Sky Soldiers to practice their craft: Jumping from an aircraft hundreds of feet above the ground.

It took less than a minute for each soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade to touch the ground after exiting a pair of C-130Js from the 37th Airlift Squadron onto the Juliet Drop Zone in a series of training jumps launched from the base.

“A beautiful day for almost anything,” said Pfc. Zachary Pierce while helping Spc. Ian Hart secure his parachute and associated gear before a jump.

Pfc. Nicholas Daurelio helps Pfc. Ned Duke adjust a strap Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, prior to a jump over the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and their gear are packed into a C-130J transport plane from the 37th Airlift Squadron before leaving Aviano Air Base, Italy, for a training jump Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, over the Juliet Drop Zone. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade start to board a C-130J from the 37th Airlift Squadron, 86th Airlift Wing, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Pfc. Zachary Pierce helps Spc. Ian Hunt adjust his parachute Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, before elements from the 173rd Airborne Brigade made a training jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

That didn’t mean that soldiers were taking their tasks lightly. Far from it.

Though some might envy the brief — but somewhat stunning — views while gliding down on parachutes onto a green field at the foot of the Dolomites, there was a lot going on behind the scenes.

Soldiers making the jumps traveled from their home base in Vicenza, more than an hour away, and spent a good portion of their day waiting for their cues at the Personnel Alert Holding Area on base.

There, many watched a short presentation on the field — located about 20 minutes east of Aviano near the village of Vajont — and practiced lining up and exiting from a metal structure that resembled an aircraft (with some imagination).

They eventually paired off and helped each other don one of hundreds of parachutes methodically packed by their colleagues based at Aviano. After a backup chute and other gear totaling roughly 100 pounds was added, they sat along rows of wooden benches specifically designed for the task.

Jumpmasters — soldiers who have passed an advanced training school and been on at least a dozen jumps themselves — then inspected each soldier’s gear from head to toe, ensuring that everything was just right.

“It’s a very thorough inspection,” said 2nd Lt. Dustin Buwal while finishing up his review of Hart’s gear.

Then it was a few more hours of waiting until the call was made to stand up and cross the South Ramp onto the waiting aircraft.

Two C-130s, part of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, had made the trip over the Alps on Tuesday and stayed for the four-day event. Only one of them was available to make jumps the last three days due to a mechanical issue.

A C-130J transport plane from the 86th Airlift Wing leaves a trail of paratroopers behind Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, during training over the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

2nd Lt. Dustin Buwal, a jumpmaster, checks all of Pfc. Nicholas Bobst's gear Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, prior to a training jump over the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

That left some soldiers unable to jump. Those were bused later to the drop zone to join their comrades and take part in training on the ground. Some watched as their fellow Sky Soldiers glided onto the landing zone.

All of those jumping had done so at least a few times before, having graduated from jump school. Some were making their first jumps onto the zone, though. A few others had achieved the designation of master jumper — with at least 64 jumps to their credit.

Given the brigade’s deployment schedule, the availability of aircraft to jump from and sometimes unruly weather in northern Italy, compiling that many jumps isn’t easy.

Soldiers on the ground await the swift arrival of a comrade Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, as the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a training jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

The air is full of Sky Soldiers as the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducts a training jump onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. In the background, the C-130J that dropped them makes a right turn in front of the Dolomites before making another pass onto the field to disgorge more troops. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade jump from a C-130J transport plane Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, over the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

A soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade glides down onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, during a training jump Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade wait to board a C-130J transport plane from Ramstein Air Base’s 86th Airlift Wing on the flightline at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

A group of American soldiers and some Italian counterparts watch a presentation at Aviano Air Base, Italy, on conditions of the Juliet Drop Zone prior to a training jump Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Dozens of parachutes and backup chutes await paratroopers at the Personnel Alert Holding Area on Aviano Air Base, Italy, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade wait their turns to perform a simulated exit at the practice facility adjacent to the Personnel Alert Holding Area on Aviano Base, Italy, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade take turns exiting a simulated plane before taking part in a jump Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers are required to make at least four jumps a year to be considered proficient.

“Ideally, you want to do more than the minimum,” said Keith Platt, operations sergeant major for the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment.

So the brigade looks to conduct such training at Aviano almost monthly. They also jump at other locations around Europe or in places such as north Africa during training.

A few dozen Italian paratroopers jumped along with them this time, while some of their comrades and Italian police helped secure the perimeter on the ground. Since this was only jump training, that mainly consisted of making sure that nearby traffic — and a few curious spectators — were safely far away from soldiers drifting from the sky.