WATKINS, Colo. (3/3/11) – Soldiers of the Colorado Army National Guard’s 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) teamed up with Canadian forces to participate in what Colorado’s primary jumpmaster 5-19captain calls a “friendship jump.”

“We do this to promote joint coalition operations,” said Maj. Martin Bortolutti, Special Warfare Training Detachment commander for the 5-19th. “It’s good to learn each other’s procedures. It’s beneficial for our jumpmasters to learn one another’s skills and commands and their respective actions in the aircraft.”

The link between 5-19th SFG(A) and the Canadian unit – Company B, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI ) – goes back to 2002, when the troops were co-located in southeast Afghanistan.

“We do it to keep the brotherhood alive,” said the jumpmaster. “We can learn a lot from one another. It’s not always about us.”

Airborne Soldiers are specialized Soldiers who jump out of perfectly good airplanes to a specified drop zone to engage the enemy.

As is customary with airborne operations between nations, members of each nation exchanged their country’s honorary jump wings – or parachutist’s badges – at the completion of the jump.

“The spirit of the Airborne Soldier, no matter what nation, is similar,” said Bortolutti. “We wanted to reignite that mutual camaraderie.”

The PPCLI is one of three main infantry regiments of the Canadian Forces and one of the most decorated regiments in Canada.