The 82nd Airborne Division celebrates its 100th year this week. The Fort Bragg-based division is known best for its parachute jumps during World War II, and now specializes in rapid deployments - with or without parachutes.
Today, one of the division's three brigades always has some of its soldiers ready to board aircraft and ready to fight.
View a gallery of images from a recent combat training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 26, 2017:
![A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division is assisted with his parachute by another paratrooper before a combat training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C. on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/647d525/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop2-432.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Staff Sergeant Wesley Hatfield waits for the transport plane his is on to be fixed during a training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C. on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9996c5a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop2-584.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division walk towards the jump door during a training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C. on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4788798/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop2-769.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division demonstrate the correct loadout for an upcoming training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4972ac9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1457+0+0/resize/880x641!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-226.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Paratroopers Talbert, Lang and Capik of the 82nd Airborne Division write their name, rank, and unit on name cards before an upcoming training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C. on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cd769fe/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-454.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![A parachute rigger helps a paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division put on his parachute before an upcoming training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/40e1cff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-514.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Specialist Christopher Byrum, Captain Marcus Fisher and Staff Sergeant Wesley Hatfield wait for the transport plane that they are on to be fixed before takeoff for a training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C. on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ebee78a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-733.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division wait for takeoff for a training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eba1a0f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-827.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC
![A paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division jumps out of a C-17 plane during a training jump at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 26, 2017.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/08042a3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1333+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201708%2F20170726_couch_82drop-1266.jpg)
Credit Matt Couch / WUNC
/
WUNC