Remembering D-Day and a Fallen Friend: Part 1

The idea/opportunity presented itself simple enough. It started with a phone call from a friend, “Hey man, would you want to tandem skydive Kris Domeij’s mother, Scoti Domeij, into Normandy for the 75^th anniversary of D-Day?” The question came to me from the CEO and co-founder of Combat Flip Flops, Matt Griffin. While I had no idea the extent of the journey that saying yes would take me on, I knew it was going to be no small feat to pull off.  We were going to have to build a strong team around us to pull this off.
 
I insisted that Team Wendy be a part of the tribute.
 

It’s no secret that Team Wendy has been at the forefront of helmet technology, innovation and research. They have researched the causes and prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury for over 20 years. What may not be on many people’s radars is the ingenuity and problem solving that their team puts forth every day. For the mission, we would be wearing era specific and accurate uniforms Rangers wore when they scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and raided the beaches of Omaha. It would include authentic steel M1 helmets. The problem? These helmets offer little to no real impact protection.  Furthermore, the retention system on the original helmets is archaic and offers little security in freefall at speeds of over 120 miles per hour.
 
Our needs and specifications were sent to the engineers at Team Wendy and they immediately got to work.
 
SFC Kristoffer Domeij

Every great story has an origin and this one is no different.

 
The story of this endeavor really began more than 15 years ago when I first got to 2nd Ranger Battalion. While I was mainly just a face in the crowd of Rangers at 2/75 (2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, SFC Kristoffer Domeij was anything but. A Forward Observer (MOS 13F) by trade, he would become one of the first JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) qualified personnel in the U.S. Army and one of the most feared (by both subordinate and enemy combatant alike). Domeij was respected by the entire Ranger Regiment, Special Operations community and beyond.
 
He was also the first Ranger I would meet when I arrived at Ft. Lewis, WA. He met with myself and the small, new group of privates arriving from the newly graduated RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program, now RASP – Ranger Assessment and Selection Program) class to make sure they were set up for success before reporting the next day to Battalion. I would share chow halls, gyms, training areas, ranges, laughs and missions with him over the next seven years.
 
Ultimately, Kris would be killed by an IED in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan on Oct. 22, 2011. It was his 14th Combat Deployment. We lost several Rangers over my time at 2/75. For many reasons, Kris’ death hit me hard. Much harder than the others. And while I have thought about it a lot, I still haven’t quite figured out why.
 
He was the epitome of the term, “consummate professional.” He was an incredible leader, a caring and thorough mentor, a great friend to many and one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known. The passing of Kris was a massive loss to the Ranger Regiment, the Special Operations community, the Army, and most of all, his friends and family. How do you show your gratitude, respect and love to a man and fellow Ranger even after he is gone? Since his passing nearly eight years ago, I’ve come to believe the best way is to live a life that would honor him and his legacy.

Hoop Jumping

Once the idea and concept of the operation was conceived, a serious chain of events – initial plans, phone calls, frustration, hoop jumping, more frustration and ultimately, a fair amount of finger crossing – would begin and continue all the way through execution. The entire team had ties to either Ranger history or the war itself. This was particularly important to me. I wanted Kris and Scoti to receive as much attention, devotion and respect as possible.
 
I decided to bring Andy Farrington and Larry Yount as my spotters and videographers. Andy is a third-generation skydiver whose grandfather, Lenny Aikins, was forced to ditch his P-47 Thunderbolt over Belgium during the war. He was unable to jettison the aircraft due to a jammed cockpit canopy. Upon arriving back from the war, he was intent on jumping and parachuting from an airplane since he was unable to during the war. Consequently, he loved parachuting so much it became the family business, which was eventually passed down to Andy and his sister.
 
Larry is a Panama Ranger who, after surviving the jump and battle in 1989, would go on to become a Green Beret and complete 22 years of military and combat service.
 
Both are professional skydivers, aerial stuntmen, current and former world record holders. They are, arguably, two of the best skydivers in the world. More importantly, they are two really good friends.
 
Additionally, Devin Supertramp and his team would come on board to document the jump, the remembrance of D-Day and all the soldiers who fought and died. Their job would be honoring Rangers past, present and future. Specifically, they would help us honor Kris – his service, sacrifice and ultimately, his family.
 
In the back of my head, I was still crossing mental fingers that everything would go according to plan. Weather was a concern and so was the availability of and procurement of aircraft. We had covered most every other base. I was confident, but remained prepared to flex and shift whatever resources, energy and attention needed to ensure mission success.
 
Our team was in place. Now we had to jump…

By Zach Carbo
Guest Contributor

Click here to read part 2 about the jump.