Robert Derry talks about working as a smokejumper in 1943 and 1946. He also discusses his brothers Frank Chet and Virgil who were all smokejumpers and were involved with the early development of the program. He recalls supervising the conscientious objectors in 1943 at age 17 and returning to the program as a war veteran in 1946. Derry talks about his disillusionment with the U.S. Forest Service which caused him to leave the smokejumper program and his later career as a professional firefighter.