Article July 6, 1998 Issue

Jumpers safe after parachuting accident

After hitting the ground at 70 miles per hour, they walked away from the crash. What made it possible?

BY Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks

During the few weeks before military parachute training started, I studied the ninety-first Psalm very carefully. Beginning with the first verse—"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty"—I reasoned that if I wanted to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, I needed to dwell in His secret place. Dwelling in that secret place, to me, means discerning God's presence and allness around me, everywhere, all the time, in any circumstance. The psalm continues, describing protection from all sorts of things—fear of the night, pestilence, disease, and accident. God shall send His angels to "bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone," it promises at one point (verse 12).

In this type of parachuting, soldiers jump from either side of the airplane. Also, the parachutes have no rip cords; they are to open automatically. One day when we were supposed to practice, the winds were gusting. In fact, conditions were so severe that it was almost unsafe to jump, but we were told to proceed.

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