Rigging the cavalry

Photo By Sgt. Taryn Hagerman | Spc. Nate Monk, rigger with Aerial Delivery Platoon, 11th Quartermaster Company, 189th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, tightens a strap for one of two Humvees dropped at Fort Bragg, March 31. Riggers with the platoon are responsible for directing working parties, as well as safeguarding millions of dollars’ worth of Army equipment.  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

07.22.2015

Story by Sgt. Taryn Hagerman 

40th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT BRAGG, N. C. – Riggers with Pack Platoon ensure constant and careful packing of individual parachutes and reserves for paratroopers. And after those paratroopers land, they need reinforcements in the form of supplies, vehicles and sometimes, the mission literally calls for bringing in the big guns. That’s when riggers with Aerial Delivery Platoon join the party.

Humvees are commonplace and Soldiers are trained on maintenance checks and maneuvering. However, a little less commonplace is sending these vehicles sailing out the back of an aircraft, careening toward the drop zone.

Securing this cargo and protecting the Army’s assets is a job for the Aerial Delivery Platoon, 11th Quartermaster Company, 189th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade.

Tape covers the headlights and reflectors, to help prevent the glass from breaking, with honeycomb cardboard segments lining crucial areas of the vehicle to soften impact upon landing. The parachutes are brought to each load via an overhead crane because trying to team-carry a 250-pound parachute across the tracks lining the floor would be hazardous to say the least.

Riggers in Aerial Delivery Platoon work in a massive structure tucked away in the woods, where their job is to lead working parties from outside units and confirm proper rigging of each heavy load.

“They ensure that all heavy loads are rigged effectively,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Visser, Aerial Delivery Platoon Leader. “Instead of life-supporting equipment like at the pack shed, we are protecting about 200 million dollars’ worth of equipment.”

All riggers are trained to secure heavy drop loads; however, the work load requires more hands than the riggers have. So, when a unit requests a heavy drop for a training exercise or mission, they must also send a team of Soldiers to rig their own equipment under the rigger’s supervision.

Spc. Nate Monk, rigger with the platoon, said his job can be challenging, but he enjoys working with other units.

“The best part of my job is getting to be the subject matter expert in this field and helping units pack their heavy drops,” said Monk.

The same is true for packing container delivery system bundles. Soldiers regularly cycle through the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. For each rotation, a brigade jumps in, and later will have their equipment and CDS bundles with food and water dropped in to them.

“These bundles have a real-life effect for the Soldiers at JRTC,” said 1st Lt. Keith Martin, former platoon leader.

Although the job of a rigger may appear to be one without much recognition, they are commended for their diligence.

“They do get the accolades,” said Martin, Pack Platoon Leader. “Gen. Frost comes down here quite often to recognize riggers when we do division readiness cage changeover.”

The DRC is under guard 24-hours a day and holds the equipment needed for the Global Response Force to be ready to deploy within hours of notification, said Martin.

This platoon stays busy ensuring Soldiers can train as they fight and Visser said, all of the riggers possess the knowledge and skills necessary to enable successful operations.

• Date Taken: 07.22.2015
• Date Posted: 08.04.2015 11:20
• Story ID: 172090
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US