Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Smith | Spc. Christopher Jones, a rigger for the 63rd Quartermaster, 45th Sustainment Brigade,...... read more read more
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - For every truck that doesn’t have to be placed on the road, it helps save lives. It’s that simple for the riggers of Task Force Roughneck here at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
The 623rd Quartermaster Company is originally a part of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. They fall under the 45th Sustainment Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, while deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
This unit rigs thousands of supplies every day for aerial delivery. Food, fuel, water and ammo are packaged and set to be dropped from the sky, helping to minimize convoy operations and get resources to those in need.
“We are minimizing casualties because when we do this, [soldiers] don’t have to do convoys, which mean they don’t have to drive and risk IEDs, snipers and other dangers like that. It helps brothers and sisters,” said Spc. Daniel Sormiento, rigger, 623rd Quartermaster, 45th Sustainment Brigade.
To prepare supplies for rigging, soldiers set up bundles. The bottom portion of these bundles are placed on rollers and set up in supply lanes. Supplies are then stacked inside, tied down, rigged with a parachute and transported to the flight line for delivery.
Rigging is the name of the job, but that’s simply a title, according to this unit and its troops. The task takes on a whole new meaning – helping their fellow comrades.
“We are doing, what I call, ‘saving lives.’ Every bundle that we rig affects the big Army because [soldiers] don’t have to go out with trucks and deal with bombs or any other kind of danger,” said Spc. Kem Logan, 623rd Quartermaster.
Logan is a native of Montgomery, Ala., and a graduate of Central High School. He has been a rigger for two years. From excitement, to new opportunities and helping fellow soldiers, he shares this same passion with those by his side.
“It’s very rewarding, said Spc. Christopher Jones, a rigger and native of Garden Grove, Calif. “I’m in charge of putting on the parachutes, and I know that every parachute I put on is good to go.”
Afghanistan is a very mountainous region with rough terrain. This makes it very challenging for larger vehicles to deliver supplies to some areas. For service members located in these areas, their only means of supplies come from rigging and aerial delivery, according to Jones.
“In some locations this is all they get. What we rig is what they get. So if we fail a mission, we are failing our comrades. They’re not getting the resources they need to sustain for their mission.”
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2012 03:16 |
| Story ID: | 88071 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF |
| Hometown: | FORT LIBERTY, NC, US |
| Hometown: | GARDEN GROVE, CA, US |
| Hometown: | MONTGOMERY, AL, US |
| Hometown: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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