Parachutes or boots on the ground?

It’s a warm, fall afternoon. Summer doesn’t feel quite over, but school is in session. Students are watching the clock on the wall wishing for it to move faster and end the school day. As the teacher continues on with the lesson, it begins to sound somewhat like a trombone in a classic cartoon.

His voice trails off as he wanders towards the windows of the classroom. The students, finally paying attention now that their teacher isn’t talking, look out the windows. The blue, nearly cloudless, sky is filled with men and women in parachutes landing in the open field outside the school.

The people...