Photo By Maj. Will Cox | Georgia Guardsman, Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Caple, packs his parachute after jumping out...... read more read more
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PAULDING COUNTY AIRPORT, DALLAS, Ga. – One thing paratroopers do not take for granted is their parachute and the rigger that packed it. According to the Riggers Pledge, riggers are trained from day one to keep a wholehearted respect for their vocation, regarding it as a high profession rather than a day-to-day task.
The 165th Quartermaster Company is a Corps-level asset assigned to the Georgia National Guard that packs and stores parachutes and rigs equipment to provide support for reconnaissance and surveillance operations. The 165th QM conducted joint static jump airborne proficiency training out of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Paulding County Airport July 16, 2014.
“We conduct airborne operations monthly to maintain proficiency in our craft, which is parachute operations,” said Warrant Officer Candidate Jose Caoili, drop zone safety officer in charge. “We have a requirement to jump every 90 days to be a paratrooper. This is proficiency training, so we will do multiple lifts, multiple passes and multiple jumps today. We are also training our jump masters and drop zone safety officers in their specific tasks so we can get better, perform safer operations and have fun.”
The Rigger’s Pledge ensures a rigger will constantly keep in mind that until men grow wings, their parachutes must be dependable. A rigger will pack every parachute as though they were going to jump with it themselves, and will stand ready to jump with any parachute which they have certified as properly inspected and packed.
“My riggers jump one of the parachutes they packed, at least quarterly,” said Caoili. “I conduct a 10 percent inspection monthly to ensure the rigger and inspector are packing the parachutes correctly. It must be a zero tolerance environment because people’s lives are on the line.”
“Staff Sgt. Roger Montanez and W.O.C. Coaili are two of the leading experts in the airborne community concerning packing parachutes, and we have them right here in the company,” said Capt. Jason Royal, commander of the 165th QM. “I would trust this parachute rigging shed before I would trust any other parachute, because our guys pack knowing each one of them will come out and jump their handiwork. Our parachute openings are phenomenal, and I believe our openings are better than any other chutes you will see.”
And they’d better be since Royal’s son’s life depends on it too.
“Conducting airborne operations with my son is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in the military,” said Royal. “I realize that it is a rarity to jump with your own son. It makes every operation more enjoyable, but at the same time it makes me want to be 100 percent safe because I am not only putting my Soldiers out of the aircraft, I am putting my son out of that aircraft as well. With all of these lives on the line, we need to get it right.”
The Rigger’s Pledge says that a rigger will never sign their name to a parachute inspection or packing certificate unless he has personally performed or directly supervised every step, and is entirely satisfied with all of the work. A rigger will never let the idea that a piece of work is “good enough,” making them a potential killer through a careless mistake or oversight, for they know there can be no compromise with perfection.
“If a mistake is found during the 10 percent inspection, I will pull out another parachute packed by the same rigger. And if that pack has the same mistake then all of that rigger’s parachutes will be pulled for repacking, and that rigger and inspector will be formally counseled and prohibited from packing chutes until they have been retrained,” said Caoili.
“There are 11 rigger checks in the MC6 parachute, and they pack the parachute in stages. So once a rigger packs the first stage, an inspector comes along and reviews the riggers work, then the rigger continues until he is finished with all 11 stages,” said Royal.
An important part of being a rigger is packing the parachute but they get to do a lot more than that.
“We get to do the training people sign up for in the Army,” said Caoili. “Sling loading vehicles, setting up landing zones, jumping out of airplanes and helicopters is all part of the job description for a rigger.”
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2014 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 136796 |
| Location: | ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 338 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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