16 February 1945

The morning of 16 February dawned clear over Mindoro, though it soon became dusty with the arrival of the trucks at the airfield. A full combat load was so heavy, the troopers could hardly walk more than a few yards to their aircraft. Getting up the step without assistance was impossible. Note that  all sharp areas around the door of the aircraft are taped, to prevent a jumper from  being caught during the exit.  A jumper would fall 10 feet within the first second from the door.