How Can I Find the Date of Jump at Bragg in January of 1997?

[panthersix]

It was a Saturday Static Line Proficiency Jump so it was either the 11th, 18th or 25th, I doubt it was the 4th. My CA Bn (422d (A) out of Greensboro) had just returned from Bosnia at Christmas and we need to make up jumps for pay. My team sgt knew some guys from 50th Signal so we got on the first pass of the first chalk.

Winds were way too high for jumping and I had a mid-air entanglement with another jumper. Good news was I got out of his suspension lines. Bad news was I lost all my air and free fell to the ground. My last thoughts were "this is gonna suck", then I hit the ground and was knocked unconscious. I was drug across the DZ unconscious by my chute.

I came too standing up covered in mud with the DZ medic holding me up and all I could say for about 30 minutes was "tell me again what happened?". I was ground evac'd to Womack and put to bed in a hallway in front of a nursing station. I woke up and caught a ride home with a buddy.

Turns out that I sustained some TBI from that jump, which explains a lot about everything after that jump. Just found out from the VA that I have some TBI from the jump and not from OIF.

Now I need the date to get some buddy letters from other jumpers that I'm still in contact with after all these years.

Can anyone help? Point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

[Jim]

Suggest your most reliable source might be the other personnel in your unit who are familiar with the incident. They can assist by providing you with documentation supporting your VA application. It is unlikely the unit training records go back twelve years. This is a point in the right direction, only.

[panthersix]

Jim,

Thanks very much for the phone call. I am in contact with two other guys that were on the jump. I just need the date to go ahead and get buddy letters. Just trying to research it as much as possible before submitting anything to the VA.

Thanks again!