HISTORY OF THE AIRBORNE TROOPER STATUE "IRON MIKE"

During the spring of 1960, Lieutenant General Robert F. Sink, commander XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg sought a statue to honor the Airborne Soldier as Marines are honored by the Iwo Jima statue and infantry by the Follow Me statue at Fort Benning. General Sink wanted a heroic statue not less than eight feet tall, an oversize monument to instill pride among current Soldiers and recall the great airborne deeds of past.

In early May 1960, General Sink appointed Mrs. Leah Hiebert, a sculptress trained in Europe and New York to create for Fort Bragg a monument to the Airborne Soldier. She was here with her husband, Deputy Post Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Hiebert. Mrs. Hiebert had taught art classes on post and did a bust of General Sink. LTG Sink decided on the pose, uniform and gear that would be worn by the model. His original idea for the statue was to make it resemble the artwork from the cover of Ross Carter's book, "Devil's in Baggy Pants." The statue was to represent a WorldWar II paratrooper after jumping into battle.

Upon seeing the painting and learning how LTG Sink wanted the statue to look, Colonel Edward Whelems, XVIII Airborne Corps G1, told the general he had just the man for the job and sent for 1SG Runyon.

At the time, 1SG James L. Runyon was the new First Sergeant for C Company, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg. Before coming to Fort Bragg, COLWhelems had been Runyon's commander in 3rd Infantry, 7th Division. 1SG Runyon a World War II veteran, with over 18 years in the Army, bore an uncanny resemblance to the jumper depicted in the painting. LTG Sink agreed and 1SG Runyon was selected as the model for the Airborne Trooper Statue. 1SG Runyon trained at Camp Mackall with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, during WWII and jumped in to Normandy on D-Day. He had another combat jump into Holland as well.

From May to August 1960, 1SG Runyon, posed for the five-foot clay model, everyday for four hours, 20 minutes at a time, during which he was not allowed to move. He wore is own WWII uniform and all of the WWII equipment, while he stood for the statue. He was 38 years old at the time. Photographs were taken of him from every angle and were put on the walls of the workshop for reference during later stages of the statue's construction.

Before constructing the statue six different clay models would be sculpted to and General Sink would select the winning version. On May 16, Colonel Earl Peterson, Ordnance, became the Project Officer. The next day he started the search for an adequate shop in which to construct the tall statue, one with a high ceiling and large door to remove the completed work. Sink has instructed that it should be two to three times life size. After a day of searching the post for a shop found two possible locations (an abandoned 1918 boiler plant and an old parachute packing building in the Old Division area). Keeping an active pace Peterson visited Fort Benning the next day to gather information on the construction of their infantryman statue.

In June, the shop opened in the parachute packing building. PFC Zintars Zamelis, 82nd Airborne Division, Quartermaster Company, the Project Engineer, went to work to build the needed shop facilities; including stands, turntables and clay mixing equipment. By the end of the month artisan SP4 Janis Krisans, B Battery, 319th Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division and Zamelis had started shaping clay miniatures for General Sink to view and select one.

During July, Zamelis experimented with the glass fiber and epoxy composition designed for the final statue and discovered problems. A manufacturer's representative visited Fort Bragg a couple times to find an answer to the difficulties. While Zamelis struggled with the fiberglass, Krisans continued with the clay miniatures. On July 18, General Sink inspected the six miniatures and selected the one that became Iron Mike.

Immediately with the general's selection, work started on the statue. A four foot tall clay model served as a construction guide. The statue itself would become 15 foot tall with a steel beam and wire mesh structure. It had a covering of glass fiber, epoxy, hardener and bronze powder. The 15 foot statue sat on a 12 foot tall pedestal and weighed 3,235 pounds. Iron Mike stood at 2.4 times his human model.

On June 30, 1960, Lieutenant General Sink left for his next assignment as Commander, United States Forces in Panama.

On Sept. 14, the new XVIII Airborne Corps commander, Lieutenant General J.H. Trapnell visited the shop and gave approval to continue with the project. The work progressed with the constructing of components such as the helmet, boots, hands and hand grenade. Later they were added to a main structure. By November the team was ready for the main armature. A fulltime welder joining the effort in January, SP4 Kenneth LeClaire, 82nd Airborne Division Artillery, started assembling the steel structure.

General Trapnell continued to follow the project and in a June 13, 1961, letter to General Adams, wrote the statue "will contribute greatly to morale and pride of the soldiers of this post and all airborne troops." By this time the statue neared completion and had taken on the name "Devil in Baggy Pants." This name came from a World War II incident when American troops found in a German officer's pocket and unfinished letter home describing the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, as devils in baggy pants that kept coming and could not be stopped.

This plaque at the statue could relate this story. However, XVIII Airborne Corps staff noted that this might be considered restricted to the 504th PIR. A wider interpretation would be more appropriate. Suggestions for the plaque covered a wide range of themes and consideration given to enlisting a famous writer such as Carl Sandburg, the great American poet, but he was unavailable. The simple course proved best, using straightforward language recalling the heroic actions of the Airborne Soldier. A new name emerged, the "Airborne Trooper," memorializing all past, present and future airborne. Now with a decision on the plaque, statue name, picking a site required attention in June. A most important criterion was to see it from a distance, given its height. Suggestions included the main post parade field, beside the Corps Headquarters, in front of the Reilly Road Post Exchange and the intersection of Bragg Boulevard and Knox Street.

The Bragg Boulevard site, at the entrance to Fort Bragg, excelled over the others. Here, many could see the statue, and room existed for landscaping. With site location identified the concluding statue work took place for an Aug. 29 unveiling. Then Exercise SWIFT STRIKE required the post's attention. The unveiling ceremony was scheduled for Sept. 23, 1961.

The Airborne Trooper was moved to its location just over one week before the unveiling. It depicted an Airborne Trooper who has at the moment completed a combat jump into battle. He is resting his weapon on his hip, but still has his finger on the trigger, ready as usual. His left foot is on a pile of rubble in a readiness stance. Looking at his face, we see tiredness, determination, and yet the American characteristic of compassion. The tilted helmet and hanging chin straps and relaxed appearance, another sign of the American attitude of casual but tough. General Trapnell gave a speech at the unveiling ceremony. Mrs. William C. Lee, widow of Major General William C. Lee, father of the Airborne and General Trapnell, together pulled off the cover.

The statue soon became the Fort Bragg icon and was featured on many official publications and small statues were given as gifts to soldiers and visitors.

The Airborne Trooper statue was not named for any one person; he represents all paratroopers, past present and future. Over the years he earned the nickname "Iron Mike." This nickname has been given to many statues, athletes and military figures, in the United States. In 1979, due to acts of vandalism, the statue was moved from Bragg Boulevard to its present location in the traffic circle between the officers club and Post Headquarters.

On Sept. 23, 2005, a more permanent bronze statue replaced the original statue. The replacement was an exact copy. The original statue will go on display at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, downtown Fayetteville, after some restoration is complete.