A video went viral last week showing a Canadian paratrooper cracking open and drinking a beer while descending to the ground during a training jump. Now that paratrooper is being investigated.
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In the video, the paratrooper held his video camera in one hand and snapped open a can of Miller Lite with the other. Task & Purpose was among the first to share this paratrooper’s video as he parachuted down over Canada’s Ontario province and the video has garnered over 600,000 views.
After letting out a heavy sigh, the Canadian paratrooper said “the government” and then took a long pull from his can of beer, then shook his head as he continued to descend. Now that very same government is investigating this paratrooper’s actions.
Dan Le Bouthillier, a spokesperson for the Canadian Department of National Defense told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday that this particular paratrooper had been assigned to the Royal 22nd Regiment out of Quebec.
Le Bouthillier said the paratrooper had left the military on Sept. 1. The video appeared online around the same time he left the service, however, Le Bouthillier still said “a unit investigation has been initiated.”
Even though the paratrooper is out of the military, he could still face punishment.
“It is important to note that the code of service discipline still applies to retired members for breaches that occurred while serving,” Le Bouthillier said.
The paratrooper’s video has gone viral with people resharing it across social media. One TikTok user commented “Why didn’t I think of having a beer when I was jumping in the Army . . . this guy rocks.” Many comments were overall positive while several of the negative comments the paratrooper faced had more to do with his facial hair and choice of beer than with any serious breach of military rules.
While the internet has had a generally positive response to the paratrooper’s actions, Le Bouthillier said “the conduct of the soldier is completely inappropriate, unsafe and not in accordance with Canadian Army safety static line parachute procedures.”
