(Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Bulgaria, March 9, 2009: Bulgarian paratroopers jump from the open rear hatch of a C-130E, assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, during Operation Thracian Spring 2009. Bulgarian and U.S. Air Force and Army paratroopers from Germany participated in the static-line jump from an altitude of about 1,500 feet. The Bulgarians’ techniques differed slightly from that of the Americans, but all jumped feet first.

Read Stars and Stripes’ story on the different jump techniques here.