Army paratroopers rescued from trees in Wash.
Feb 22, 2013, 2:41 AM
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. (AP) – The Army says firefighters have rescued three paratroopers who got stuck in trees after they jumped from an aircraft in a training exercise in Washington state.
Joe Piek (PEEK’) is a spokesman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle. He says all three were unhurt after getting stuck in trees near one of the base’s drop zones on a windy Thursday afternoon.
He didn’t have many details but says the big, wide-open drop zones are surrounded by trees, and parachutes can drift off course if winds change or increase during a jump.
Piek says firefighters from both Thurston County and the base responded.
The rescue took place in a thickly wooded area near the town of Rainier.
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