From a distance, it looks almost like they are drilling for oil in the center of Fort Benning, Georgia. Those towers, however, are not oil derricks, but are used for training soldiers who will become airborne-qualified. There are a series of towers of varying heights and as soldiers master their equipment and techniques, they are literally taken to greater heights.
In 1980 I was at Fort Benning for US Army Officer Candidate School (OCS), and I remember running on a track around those towers. During my Army career, I did not go through airborne training and I am happy to say that I have a perfect record—I have landed safely aboard every aircraft on which I have taken off.
I am currently at Fort Benning to celebrate my son’s graduation from OCS. Yesterday I had a chance to walk around the field on which the towers are located and to capture a variety of shots. Here are some of my favorites.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
congratulations to your son! What an honor to be there for his graduation.
I am also going to have the honor of administering the initial oath of commissioning to him. I will do so in uniform and I must admit that I can barely squeeze into my uniform. 🙂
Congratulations to your son, Mike! Great photos. That bottom one is stunning.
Thanks, Dan. I waited around as the sun was going down to try to get that shot and was pretty happy with the results.
It’s really cool to drive by on a day that they are jumping. Great pictures. Thanks!
Alas, I didn’t get to see them jump this trip, though I do have memories of them doing so in 1980, the last time that I was at Fort Benning.
jumped from those towers in january 1962 , we had a smal class around 160 troops, looks the same
Wow. They look the same as when I went to OCS in 1980 and ran around them–I did not realize they were so much older. 🙂