Parachute riggers find new calling while deployed

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan - Parachute riggers deployed with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, have found a new calling here at Forward Operating Base Shank. By taking the responsibility of manning the entry control point the riggers are using the tools accumulated from prepping countless parachutes in an entirely new fashion.

“The riggers are support out here for the brigade, so the missions can go smoothly and they can run more missions. For us to be out here and pull this guard duty at the ECP helps our brigade complete more missions and get more progress,” said U.S. Army Spc. Ryan N. McDonald, a parachute rigger from Fort Myers, Fla.

Riggers like McDonald are already accustomed to the stress associated with working at an entry control point.

“I wanted to be airborne, and the quickest way to go is to be a rigger. I like being out on the airfields, I like jumping, and it’s a job that you only get one chance at. You can’t let anything go wrong in our job...” 

“It’s a pretty articulate job. When you do it and everything goes well it feels good. All the rest of the time it’s very stressful,” said McDonald. 

U.S. Army Pfc. Michael A. Alarcon, a rigger from Los Angeles, shares the same sentiment.

“Act as a professional, just like when you’re packing a parachute. You have to be a professional at it; there are no mistakes involved with it,” said Alarcon. “It’s the same thing out here, be a professional and know that anything bad can happen if you make a mistake, so you need to be on point, make no mistakes and be perfect at all times.” 

This professionalism stems from the daily inspections Alarcon and others execute in garrison.

“When rigging parachutes, we need to catch any little thing that’s wrong,” said Alarcon. “Before we actually pack them, we do an inspection on them, making sure they are ready to pack, making sure there is nothing wrong with them.”

“Any little tear in the parachute could cause a major problem, so we need to catch that on a day-to-day basis,” added Alarcon. 

The same attention to detail required to pack a parachute, supplements the work done at an entry control point, continued Alarcon.

“Out here, if something doesn’t look how it should look, don’t just let it go,” he said. “Make sure you investigate it, make sure everyone has their badges and you look at every compartment of a vehicle.”

Knowing that the riggers are now a safety and security component, Alarcon does not take his job lightly.

“I take a lot of pride in what I do out here. We are the first line of defense. If we do get attacked, we are the first people that are defending the FOB. I do feel very fulfilled and very proud that I do that,” said Alarcon.

“If we don’t do our job correctly, something could go extremely wrong,” said McDonald. “I think we do a pretty good job here; we find everything. We have a really important, stressful job.” 

Amidst the inherent rigors, Alarcon finds solace in the collective effort.

“Stay positive and keep supporting everyone out here. Everyone joins the army for a reason; we end up coming here somehow,” said Alarcon. “We’re out here doing it for not only ourselves, but for everyone else in the country.”