You have to hand it to this guy when it comes to making an exit in style. This surreal photo shows a soldier from the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group saluting while hanging in mid-air just outside a C-130 that is flying high over frigid Germany.
The 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is the US Army's tip of the spear in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East. Heightened tensions in the region due to the increased threat of terrorism, the change in Russia's geopolitical stance and their incursions into Eastern European sovereign territory, as well as the turmoil in Northern Africa and Syria, have made the unit as relevant as they ever have been in their long and decorated history.
Since all of the 10th Special Forces group is airborne capable and able to be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world on short notice, they have to constantly practice their various jump profiles under different conditions. As you can see in the first shot, some have clearly been doing this for a long time and are pro enough to throw in a little extra flare upon exit for good measure and morale.
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address Tyler@Jalopnik.com