Posted on Apr 28, 2015
A Fish Story? Paratrooper Who Completed Final Jump With Pet Fish Receives UCMJ
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Army SPC Matthew Tattersall, the Paratrooper who gained fame just last week for celebrating his final training jump by bringing his pet fish along with him and filming the experience on a Go-Pro camera, has now faced the wrath of the UCMJ for his stunt.
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UCMJ
UCMJ
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 262
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I'm sure he's kicking himself for not waiting until after he was out to post the video. At the same time, though, I'm sure that while doing his extra duty only two words come to his mind: "Worth it."
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He earned it. What he did was dangerous and although it ended well it is hard to watch out for other jumpers holding a fish and mugging for the camera. They let him off easy.
He should be shaking chutes for Airborne School, FT Benning for 3 months.
He should be shaking chutes for Airborne School, FT Benning for 3 months.
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Way too PC, silly maybe even dumb- but not earth shattering. Who ever took the photo was stupid too, At 800 AGL, not much time to play around.
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Interesting MAJ (Join to see) since decades ago an unnamed classmate of mine jumped with a hamster in his BDU pocket for all five jumps so the hamster would be secretly eligible for jump wings.
FYI SSG William Jones
FYI SSG William Jones
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me being an unapologetic leg, I don't get what he did that was wrong? isn't those cameras hands free devices? I sure the fish didn't complain
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SGM (Join to see)
As I said, I wish I'd have thought of it. But it is a risk. There's a saying, "The sky even more than the sea is terribly unforgiving of even the slightest mistake."
It's really smart to keep a sharp lookout during descent. If you pull a camera out with one hand, and a bottle out with the other, and snap a selfie, then put it all away, that takes time, and you don't have that much. Judging from the airplane in the background, this was a mass tac - lots of fellow soldiers in the air who can be harmed if he runs into them. Likewise, it appears to me that he's about 200 feet up at the camera snap. He's got about 10 seconds left before he's on the ground. If he's hurt, hospitalized for a few months, who pays? Who writes the letter if he is killed?
I took a camera up on my 8th jump. It was my first jump in a steerable chute. I didn't realize then, but if you don't pay attention, your chute will seek the wind direction and actually accelerate you into the ground. I figured this out when I was about 200 feet up. Four seconds later I was on the ground, unconscious, with a broken camera.
It's really smart to keep a sharp lookout during descent. If you pull a camera out with one hand, and a bottle out with the other, and snap a selfie, then put it all away, that takes time, and you don't have that much. Judging from the airplane in the background, this was a mass tac - lots of fellow soldiers in the air who can be harmed if he runs into them. Likewise, it appears to me that he's about 200 feet up at the camera snap. He's got about 10 seconds left before he's on the ground. If he's hurt, hospitalized for a few months, who pays? Who writes the letter if he is killed?
I took a camera up on my 8th jump. It was my first jump in a steerable chute. I didn't realize then, but if you don't pay attention, your chute will seek the wind direction and actually accelerate you into the ground. I figured this out when I was about 200 feet up. Four seconds later I was on the ground, unconscious, with a broken camera.
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SGM (Join to see)
SGT Jim Arnold There's no substitute for being stupid, but being lucky enough to live to tell about it. ;-)
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Yes, this was not a bright decision. Regardless of the timing around the recent deaths while using the T-11 parachute. But did I crack a smile for this kid? Yes, I think we all did. But, we have rules in place, especially for airborne operations. I know we bend rules, but when Soldiers put it out there on social media (for the entire world to see), then I feel that the chain of command is forced to take action. As a jumpmaster myself, I'm just wondering how the jumpmaster performing the JMPI missed a fish in a water bottle. The bottle must have been in his cargo pocket. Does anyone know what happened to that Jumpmaster Team? They can potentially be de-certified as jumpmasters for this.
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