Story and photo by Melissa Buckley
GUIDON staff
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It’s not very often on Fort Leonard Wood that you see a Soldier in an Army Combat Uniform wearing a red baseball hat. That’s because there aren’t any riggers stationed on post. The riggers, who are here from time-to-time, are from Fort Campbell, Ky., and travel here to support airborne operations.

“Our primary job is to provide air support, so we pack personnel and cargo parachutes. We also rig cargo loads to be dropped,” said Sgt. Steven Thorn, parachute rigger, Fort Campbell. “Our parent unit is in Fort Bragg, N.C. There are people that jump in Fort Campbell, so we have to be there to keep from going (on) temporary duty all the time.”

Currently there are 55 parachute riggers in the 647th Quartermaster Company, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Two riggers were on post to support the Sapper Leader Course’s jump on July 23.

“We have a good relationship with the riggers from Fort Campbell. They have been supporting us for about 15 years. We couldn’t jump without them,” said Capt. John Chambers, Sapper Leader Course chief of training. “They are valuable to us because they provide a unique opportunity for our students. The students can jump with the instructors and learn to secure a landing zone for their fellow students. It provides a crucial training opportunity. It also provides students that aren’t in airborne units or who aren’t airborne qualified to see an airborne operation executed.”

Thorn said he doesn’t mind driving almost seven hours from Kentucky to Missouri.

“It’s fun to be able to come here and help the Sappers out,” Thorn said.

For safety, the riggers pack the parachutes in Fort Campbell and ship them here configured ready to jump.

“It’s a controlled area, and our special tools are there. Also, we are not allowed to pack if our chief warrant officer is not present. He is the subject matter expert,” Thorn said.

Thorn admits his profession can be a little nerve racking at times.

“It’s a lot of attention to detail. With it being life saving equipment, there are a lot of steps that go in to it. There is a very small margin of error, but I know we do everything the right way. We have a lot of checks and balances to ensure that it’s done correctly. We are all very confident in what we do every day,” Thorn said. “It only takes about 20 minutes to pack a personnel parachute.”

Spc. Taylor Orzechowski, parachute packer, Fort Campbell, said he has packed so many parachutes he even dreams about it and with repetition comes confidence.

“I have packed parachutes in my dreams once or twice,” Orzechowski said. “When I first started packing I would get nervous, but I have packed so much now that I don’t get nervous anymore. I know I did it right and I know it’s going to open successfully.”

It’s a good thing the riggers are confident — because they also pack their own parachutes.

“We all have to be airborne and on (jump) status, which means we jump at least once every three months. We usually jump about once a month and do a proficiency jump, which is where we jump with a parachute that we have packed ourself,” Thorn said.

Parachute riggers job duties include: rig supplies, equipment and vehicles for airdrop; perform technical, routine and in-storage rigger-type inspection on cargo, extraction and personnel parachute as well as other airdrop equipment before, during and after each use; inventory, clean, receive, store and issue all airdrop equipment used in airdrop operations; use and maintain machines and tools for fabrication, modification and repair to parachute and other airdrop equipment; and inspect, test and install extraction and release systems.

“I like to jump and being a rigger ensures that we will always have an opportunity to jump. It’s nice to have that type of security,” Thorn said.

Orzechowski likes to jump too and said he was lucky he was able to pick riggers as his MOS.

“It looked fun, and I like to wear the red hat,” Orzechowski said.

As stylish as the red hat is, there is a reason for the bright colored baseball hat.

 “We get to wear a bright red hat, so we are easily identifiable. The same thing goes for our badge; it’s a little bit larger than the average badge, for that same reason. If there is an issue, they can find the riggers easily,” Thorn said.

Chambers is thankful the riggers are able to support the Sapper’s mission.

“The riggers are a valuable asset to both the Army and the Sapper Leader Course. They provide us the means to conduct forced entry operations,” Chambers said.

Orzechowski said it’s all in a days work for riggers like him, but it is nice to be appreciated for a job well done.

“People’s lives are in our hands when they jump. People depend on us,” said Orzechowski. “It feels good when the jumpers thank us after a jump.”