National Archives and Records Administration

ARC Identifier 2569710 / Local Identifier 111-TV-450

Big Picture: Airborne Soldier

HISTORY OF AIRBORNE SOLDIER TOLD ON "THE BIG PICTURE" -- Here is a film documentary tracing the evolution of the foot soldier into the airborne soldier. It describes the various forms of transportation the fighting man has used to give him increased mobility and speed of movement. "Airborne Soldier" (TV-450) is an exciting spectacle. It recaptures tumultuous days in the past two decades when paratroopers have been used repeatedly with great success in global conflicts and in limited "police actions." Credit goes to the men of airborne units for the vital missions they performed in World War II and in Korea. More recently, airborne soldiers were deployed in preventive actions and crises such as the Lebanon incident. This is shock action at its best on film for the Army's weekly television program. It is an absorbing study of highly trained fighting men who jump into combat. STRAC, the Strategic Army Corps, is examined at close range by the camera. Here is a picked group of the Army's finest trained, most seasoned battle troops, capable of aerial deployment of major striking forces anywhere in the world, combat ready and capable of aerial re-supply.