03/25/2018
THIS DAY IN ALL AMERICAN HISTORY: 23 March 1994
Today is a particularly somber day for the Division and, as a result, we are providing you with a second TDIAAH.
It was the deadliest day in our history since the Battle of the Bulge and we could not allow today to pass without acknowledging the events that occurred on this exact day in 1994; a day we will always remember as the Green Ramp Disaster.
DAY OF DAYS: TRAGEDY AT GREEN RAMP
The morning of March 23, 1994 was bright and sunny with low winds, perfect conditions for an Airborne operation.
At approximately 2PM local time, while Paratroopers of the Division conducted sustained airborne training, an F-16 collided with a C-130 over Green Ramp. The pilots lost control of the F-16 and ejected while the jet collided with the tarmac and rolled through a parked C-141. The collision turned the F-16 into what some described as a "rolling ball of fire."
55,000 gallons of fuel and live 20 mm rounds from the F-16 had been ignited, causing fire, shrapnel and bullets to fly in every direction. Paratroopers ran for cover, but in the scramble many could not avoid the fire and destruction.
The Paratroopers response to this mayhem was nothing short of heroic. The uninjured immediately began rendering lifesaving aid and transporting the wounded to Womack Army Medical Center for treatment.
The medical professionals at WAMC immediately sprang into action, saving as many lives as possible. Those who could not be cared for on Fort Bragg were sent to other North Carolina hospitals and Fort Sam Houston, Texas for treatment.
Despite exemplary valor from Paratroopers and medical professionals alike, the All American Division lost 24 brave men and women, ranging from the rank of Private to Captain, ages 19 to 39. Many of these brave Paratroopers died by sacrificing their body as shields in order to protect those who sought cover, or those on the ground already injured and could not avoid being struck by flying debris.
The names of those who died are immortalized on the 82nd Airborne Division Training Death Memorial outside the 82nd Airborne Division War Museum.
