Geronimo!

[deckardcanine]

So many shout “Geronimo” when jumping from a plane,
But what’s that got to do with an Apache chieftain’s name?
I found three explanations. In the most oft-cited story,
One Private Aubrey Eberhardt in August 1940
Had watched a western movie right before his whole platoon
Would test Fort Benning parachutes. His comrades thought he’d swoon.
He said he’d yell “Geronimo” to prove he wasn’t scared,
And sure enough, he did (I must assume his life was spared).
A second tale is also set within that Georgia fort:
A song then on the radio (on details, we are short),
“Geronimo,” was popular among the regiment.
An officer opposed the cry, but soon he would relent.
The other legend claims that where Geronimo was kept
A prisoner of war, he fled atop a horse and leapt
While hollering his name right down a bluff that’s extra steep.
(That’s prob’ly from the incident they call McColloch’s leap.)
Whatever is the reason for the U.S. exclamation,
It still helps people jump or just express exhilaration.