File:Packing parachutes, Atlas Drop 11, Soroti, Uganda, April 2011 (5637821716).jpg

Ugandan People's Defense Forces soldiers attach a wing to a 'copter box aerial delivery system April 14 at Soroti Airfield, Uganda, assisted by Staff Sgt. Ian Eggbert, a rigger with 197th Special Troops Company, Utah Army National Guard.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brock Jones, 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Utah Army National Guard

U.S. Army parachute riggers assigned to the 5th Quartermaster Detachment, 21st Special Troops Battalion, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and the Utah National Guard’s 197th Special Troops Company are currently in Soroti, Uganda, training with the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) in support of Atlas Drop 11.

Atlas Drop, an annual joint aerial-delivery exercise sponsored by U.S. Army Africa, brings together U.S. servicemembers with counterparts from the UPDF, and is designed to enhance the readiness of both countries’ resupply and logistical capabilities.

The two-week training, from April 11-21, includes classroom instruction and a field training exercise. AD 11 will increase the capability of both UPDF and U.S. forces to resupply soldiers operating in remote areas.

Soldiers are known for being outstanding improvisers, doing their jobs well even under less-than-perfect conditions. Making a mission happen no matter the resources available is a badge of honor for Soldiers of all specialties.

This group of riggers has taken the spirit of improvisation to heart in preparing parachutes for upcoming aerial resupply missions.

During the two-week exercise the riggers’ main role is to train with their Ugandan counterparts on various aerial-delivery systems, more specifically, the Low-Cost, Low-Altitude, 'copter box and free-drop box systems. Not only did they learn about the systems, they had to devise ways to effectively rig parachutes to the systems and ensure the contents inside remained safe upon landing.

Even with all the proper equipment – tables, tension devices, weights – rigging parachutes is a rigorous task. Prepping 'chutes in a dusty aircraft hangar in eastern Uganda on old desks and cardboard proved challenging for even the most experienced riggers.

This is where the spirit of improvisation came into play. They used whatever was at hand to ensure the successful completion of the mission. In the end, the 'chutes were packed on a makeshift packing table made of old desks with a concrete pillar to stabilize the desks and act as a tie off to ensure proper tension.

Others used the pillars and cardboard, but in the end all 'chutes were packed.

“Basically, what we had to do today was improvise,” said Sgt. Roger Montanez, an Ogden, Utah, native, and parachute rigger assigned to the 197th STC, UTARNG.

“We had no packing tables, we had no packing weights. So we had to improvise to accomplish the mission. We set up cardboard to maintain parachute integrity, so we don’t compromise the parachute in any way,” he said.

Montanez, who has been rigging parachutes for 11 years, said that regardless of circumstances, a Soldier with a job to do has to get it done.

“We did everything we could to accomplish the mission the proper way, the safe way and the right way with what we have.”

As is the case with all training opportunities, the riggers of Atlas Drop 11 learned valuable lessons by having to pack parachutes conditions they are not accustomed to.

“It’s an experience that betters me as a parachute rigger,” said Spc. Jordan Parr, a Clearfield, Utah, native and rigger assigned to the 197th STC.

In their first full day together as a team, the 19 riggers – 11 Soldiers from Germany, seven from Utah and one from 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia National Guard – packed 36 T-10 parachutes for use during upcoming LCLA practice drops.

After a day of packing 'chutes, the riggers began training with their UPDF counterparts to prepare the aerial delivery systems. These resupply systems provide the UPDF and U.S. Army with the ability to resupply units operating far from usual resupply routes and means.

“Everyone’s absorbing the knowledge really well,” said Sgt. Aaron DeHaven a native of Marion, Ohio, and a rigger assigned to the 5th Quartermaster Detachment. “But for me personally, training with the UPDF has been very rewarding; I’ve learned a lot.”

Whether rigging under the most difficult working conditions or training with UPDF Soldiers, the AD11 riggers have lived up to the motto they learn at rigger school: “I will be sure always.”

Next week, when the cargo is kicked from the open doors of planes and helicopters above drop zones north of Soroti, and the cargo drifts safely to ground, everyone will know just how sure they were.

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