A paratrooper is a soldier trained to jump from airplanes and descend to the ground using a parachute. Instead of marching to battle or arriving by ship, paratroopers drop from the sky directly into combat zones or strategic locations.

Paratroopers became important in World War II, when armies realized they could bypass enemy defenses by landing soldiers behind enemy lines. On D-Day in 1944, thousands of American and British paratroopers jumped into France in the middle of the night to help liberate Europe from Nazi occupation.

Modern paratroopers go through intense training, learning how to jump safely, land with heavy equipment, regroup quickly on the ground, and complete their missions in unfamiliar territory. The 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne divisions of the U.S. Army are famous paratrooper units.