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There's something magical about being awake in the early morning — the stillness, the possibility of a new day, the hundreds of Army paratroopers dropping from the sky. 

Just beautiful.

On Tuesday morning this week, paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, parachuted into Guam as an emergency deployment exercise, reminding the world they can deploy anywhere, anytime. The exercise is part of “ongoing joint exercises throughout the region.” 

Lucky for us, there's a video of the drop: 

Col. Christopher Landers, the 4-25 IBCT(A) commander, said in an Army Alaska press release that the exercise proved that the paratroopers are “capable of deploying anywhere in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area at a moment's notice.” 

The exercise resulted in 15 injuries, according to the brigade's senior medic; of those 15, one is remaining in the hospital “out of an abundance of caution.” 

Per the press release, the paratroopers flew directly from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, in C-17 Globemasters. When they hit the ground, they immediately “seized objectives and secured the airfield” at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.  

I've got one question: What are the odds of a certain Army reporter tagging along next time? 

I'm, uh…asking for a friend.