Riggers Keep Soldiers off Road, Out of Harm's Way

Mar 15, 2007
BY Pfc. Robert H. Baumgartner

LSA ANACONDA, Iraq (Army News Service, March 15, 2007) - With most American deaths in Iraq attributed to roadside bombs, coalition troops here are taking steps to counter the threat of IEDs.

The 13th Sustainment Command has turned to airdrops to keep convoys off the road.

"Everything we're doing here is trying to save lives and limit the number of convoys that have to go out," said Warrant Officer David Bird, a parachute rigger with the 600th Quartermaster Detachment here.

Airdropping supplies to remote outposts housing military transition teams, provincial reconstruction teams and border transition teams is crucial to minimizing IEDs' effects on coalition logistics.

"It took four trucks to get these supplies here (in the rigger shed) to us, and that was an inter-post transfer. Outside the wire you're going to need at least two gun trucks to protect them," reasoned Bird.

"Then you know they are going to stumble on some "Christmas lights" strung out
along the side of the road, so then you are going to have to call out an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) team to clear it. Now even more trucks and more security. As you can see, the costs in fuel and time are spiraling upwards," Bird continued.

Speed is crucial for the riggers, especially when getting airdrop-recovery assets out of the area as fast as possible. They want to make sure they can just snatch their supplies and move with as little hassle as possible.

"The whole thing is: we're trying to save lives so we want to get them off the drop zone quickly. We don't want them worrying about this item or that item. Just cut, grab and go," Bird said.

The eight-member team from Fort Bragg, N.C., can push out faster than the last detachment, which comprised more than double the Soldiers, Bird said. Instead of just dropping cargo from Air Force C-130 aircraft, they are also designing loads that can be dropped by Army Sherpa light planes as well as UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-46 Chinook helicopters.

"Using Army platforms will hopefully cut through some red tape, allowing a faster response time for emergency resupply," he said.

The riggers hope that air dropping supplies to remote units will eventually become the preferred method of delivery.

"Once we get the system rolling a lot more smoothly and some of the other units realize that it's not really that difficult of a task, hopefully they will start using it more often. The overall thought is we want to save lives," Bird said.

(Pfc. Robet H. Baumgartner writes for the 82nd Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office.)

"American Parachutists...devils in baggy pants...are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can't sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they will strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere..."
(An entry in a German officer's diary found after the Battle of Anzio)