National Airborne Day

Name: National Airborne Day
Start: 2026-08-16
End: 2026-08-16

Sunday, August 16, 2026

The paratroopers who jumped behind enemy lines changed the shape of modern warfare.

National Airborne Day on August 16 marks the anniversary of the first US Army parachute unit, the 501st Parachute Battalion, which was activated on August 16, 1940. President George W. Bush proclaimed it a national observance in 2001. Airborne operations, in which soldiers parachute behind enemy lin