Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly Hill | Spc. Valerie L. Reed, a parachute rigger with the 861st Quartermaster Company...... read more read more
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AL UDEID, Qatar - Parachute riggers with the 861st Quartermaster Company, Detachment 1, are currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where they are serving as the only riggers operating in theater.
The young specialist removes his red hat and smiles as he remembers his first mission while deployed.
He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his short hair as he remembers how exhausted yet proud, he and his fellow soldiers felt at the end of that long day.
“Our first big mission 14 hours, everyone stayed on it and worked together; we stayed as long as we had to, until two in the morning just to make sure we got it sent out,” said Spc. Daniel Faulk, a parachute rigger with 861st Quartermaster Company, Detachment 1.
Parachute riggers with the 861st QM Co., Detach.1, are currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where they are serving as the only riggers operating in theater.
The Army reservists are based out of Nashville, Tenn., and have been deployed to Qatar since May where their missions focus on aerial resupply, said Master Sgt. Troy W. Shoemaker, the detachment noncommissioned officer in charge of the 861st QM Co., Detach. 1 and a Nashville, Tenn. native.
“Our job is to rig up loads to send to Afghanistan or wherever we need to send them. We rig up the loads, send them to the flight line and they go to the frontlines,” a Shelbyville, Tenn. native.
While the unit is capable of rigging all classes of supply, the main needs in theater have been food and fuel, said Shoemaker.
“Over here you’re making sure the troops on the frontlines get what they need to survive and keep on with the mission,” said Faulk.
Parachute rigging is a job that requires attention to detail and precision, said Sgt 1st Class Jennifer Shoemaker, the lanes supervisor with the 861st QM Co., Detach. 1 and a Nashville, Tenn. native.
While parachute rigging can be a challenging job, especially for a small Army detachment that serves all of theater, Sgt. 1st Class Shoemaker believes her job not only helps troops on the frontlines but also helps save time, money and lives, she said.
“You’re saving lives, sometimes it’s safer to drop things from the air then by convoy because of improvised explosive devices and it’s also quick,” she added.
Despite the demands of being the only parachute riggers operating in theater, most riggers wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Parachute riggers don’t idle well, we like to stay busy because it’s such a rewarding job from start to finish,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shoemaker.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.18.2014 07:30 |
| Story ID: | 119341 |
| Location: | AL UDEID AIR BASE, QA |
| Web Views: | 870 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, 861st QM Co. rigs for Southwest Asia, by SFC Kimberly Hill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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