Rigger, Us Army Rigger Hat, Parachute Rigger Wing

16.50

Description

Rigger, US Army Rigger Hat, Parachute RIGGER WINGYour choice of Red or Black Hat Riggers have played an important role in the American military since
the advent of the use of the parachute for aerial insertion of troops,
supplies, and equipment into combat zones. In addition to the maroon beret
worn by paratroopers in airborne units, riggers are authorized the wear
of a distinctive red baseball cap as their military headgear when on
rigger duties.
U.S. Army. When the Army formed its first paratrooper unit in
1940, a parachute test platoon, the paratroopers themselves prepared and
took care of their own parachutes. The test platoon had only 3 men, two
enlisted soldiers and one warrant officer, from the Army Air Corps serving as the precursors of the Army’s parachute riggers.
When the Army created five Airborne divisions for World War II,
the Army stopped training each paratrooper how to pack his own chute
and started support organizations for parachute packing and rigging. The
first riggers received their training at Fort Benning, GA.
After 1950, the Army assigned the Quartermaster Corps with the mission of aerial delivery, including parachute rigging. A parachute rigger course was established at the U.S. Army Quartermaster School at Fort Lee, VA in 1951, and has continued since then.
Airborne Orientation Course. For students completing basic training
at Fort Jackson, S.C., preparation for Airborne and rigger training
begins before even departing for Fort Lee with attendance at the post’s
Airborne Orientation Course. According to an Army News Service story,
“while most of the course involves physical training, soldiers are also
familiarized with such Airborne operations as parachute landing falls,
rigging equipment and actions in the aircraft.” The AOC has raised the
success rate for soldiers subsequently attending Airborne training from
60 percent to 89 percent.[1]
From AOC, rigger recruits go to Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA.
If a rigger recruit does not pass Airborne School, that soldier is
reclassified.
The Army MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) designation for
parachute riggers (prior to fiscal year 2003: 43E2P) is graded in 5
skill levels, from 92R1P to 92R5P. Recruits are designated 92R0P [2].
After Airborne School, the 92R0P recruits head to Fort Lee to attend
the 13 week Parachute Rigger Course. The course provides training on
inspecting, packing, rigging, recovering, storing, and maintaining air
item equipment. It is divided into three phases. Air Drop Phase –
Includes instruction in cargo parachute packing, rigging supplies and
equipment for airdrop, types and limitations of aircraft. Students
become proficient in the use of the various technical manuals for
rigging airdrop loads. At the conclusion of the instruction, the
students participate in an airdrop exercise. They pack the cargo
parachutes, rig the loads to be dropped and place the loads in the
aircraft. After the airdrop, the students recover the loads and
equipment. Aerial Equipment Repair Phase – Trains fundamentals and
procedures of inspection, classification, and repair of maintenance of
personnel, cargo, extraction parachutes and airdrop equipment to include
the service of High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) Automatic Ripcord
Release (ARR). Parachute Pack Phase – Is designed to equip students with
the working knowledge of inspection and packing procedures relative to
personnel, light cargo and extraction parachutes. The student receives
concentrated instruction on the troop back parachute. The student is
required to jump the parachute he/she packed during the examination.
Throughout the course, the student is constantly reminded of the fact
that all parachutes must be packed with meticulous care to insure proper
functioning. Any malfunction could result in death or in equipment
loss.
All U.S. Army parachute riggers are required to be Airborne
qualified, and by tradition are required to be prepared to jump any
parachute packed by any U.S. Army parachute rigger, without checking the
log book for the name of the rigger who last prepared it. The official
motto of the U.S. Army parachute rigger is: “I will be sure always.”
Service members from other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces also attend parachute rigger courses at Fort Lee.
U.S. Air Force. United States Air Force parachute riggers are trained at Sheppard AFB, Texas. The career field is classified under “Aircrew Flight Equipment” (AFSC 1P0X1).[3]
Airmen attend a 3½-month course learning to inspect, pack, and repair
emergency parachutes, as well as a wide variety of other types of
aircrew equipment. Once graduated from this technical school, students
are assigned to a duty location where they are further instructed using
on the job training.[4]
Unlike Army parachute riggers, Air Force Flight Equipment personnel are
not commonly referred to as “riggers” as this designation is reserved
for personnel assigned to aerial delivery units normally filled by Air
Transportation specialists (AFSC 2T2X1).
USAF aerial delivery riggers packed training airdrop loads for airlift
units in peacetime; wartime airdrop missions would be rigged by Army
riggers. In recent years, uniformed Air Force riggers have been replaced
by contract civilian employees since the mission does not require
deployment overseas, and instead consists of supporting training
missions at home station.
In mid-2009, the Air Force’s 98th Virtual Uniform Board announced
“Airmen earning and awarded the Army Parachute Riggers badge are
authorized permanent wear on all uniform combinations. For the airman
battle uniform and the battle dress uniform, the badge will be blue. On
the desert combat uniform the approved color is brown.”[5] Previous guidance had limited the wear of the badge to airmen attached to Army rigger units.