JOINT METTLE, JBER riggers support Marine Corps training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Omari Bernard
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Thirty-six Marines flew from the warm tropical climate of Okinawa, Japan, to the frosty sub-arctic climate of Alaska to train. Marines with the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152) at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, flew more than 7,482 miles to Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to work alongside Soldiers from the 4th Quartermaster Detachment (Airborne) to perform personnel and heavy cargo drops.

"The terrain and the ranges here are nothing like we get over in Japan," said Marine Corps Maj. William Smith Jr., the assistant operations officer at VMGR 152 and the detachment officer in charge. "We submitted the request to come up to Alaska because of the vast ranges and the opportunities up here. Also for the opportunity to work with the 4th QM for the airdrops."

While here, the Marines performed airdrops, threat levels, low-level maneuvers and low-altitude tactics over mountains and through the valleys of Alaska. Low-hanging clouds burdened with sudden flurries of snow limited visibility and delayed flight times. They seemingly could not have come at a more inopportune time. However, the Marines soldiered on because the training was necessary for both the Marines and the Soldiers.

"We came up from Okinawa to get some good quality cold weather training," said Marine Corps Master Sgt. Sam Wayne, a KC-130J Super Hercules crew chief with the VMGR-152. The Marines made the tropical to sub-arctic shift with the help of a lot of clothes, he said.

The routine was simple. Two Marine KC-130s would taxi over to the Joint Mobility Center on JBER-Elmendorf and pick up simulated heavy equipment made up of dirt and rocks that weighed a total of 8,800 pounds as well as 80 to 100 Soldiers to drop at the Malemute Drop Zone eight miles away.

The pilots performed the airdrops on a circuit course.

"It takes about 10 minutes," Smith explained. "We dump out 10 to 20 jumpers every pass."

A Soldier described the process for a static-line jump. When the plane came close and the designated landing zone was sighted, the Army jumpmaster gave a hand signal for the next round of jumpers to prepare. Twenty jumpers stood up and clipped their main parachute to the static line. Next, the back of the aircraft opened and a blinding flood of white light filled the cargo bay of the aircraft.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they relayed hand signals counting down the time. Five fingers for five minutes, one for one minute. Then, standing at the edge of the platform, one of the jump masters held out their arm and gave the jumpers the go-ahead. Twenty Soldiers flew out the back of the plane in a matter of seconds and their parachutes would open seconds after departing the aircraft. The bay door closed and the pilots circled around for the next drop.

Once all Soldiers exit the aircraft and parachute to the drop zone, they pack up their chutes and march through three feet of snow to buses waiting to take them back to the JMC.

"For normal airborne operations, we jump out of the doors at the sides," said Army Capt. Sean Walstrom, commander of the 4th QM. "This is a special jump, we do not normally do these."

Walstrom said the 4th QM supports drops for any and every military jump unit that asks in the Pacific Region and have had no malfunctions in years.

"Every parachute we've packed and has gone out a plane has opened," Walstrom explained. "We are the best riggers in the Pacific."

When the Marines of VMGR 152 requested heavy equipment drops for training, the 4th QM answered the call.

"Training with the Army provides us good some good opportunities," Smith said. "They're willing to work with us. It's hard sometimes to find units that are willing to do jumps. It's a plus for both of us, we get a lot of training out of the heavy equipment drops while they get a lot out of the personnel drops."

The Marines owned the planes and the Army had the personnel and cargo to drop out of them. Both had common training interests and used them to effectively accomplish their goals and meet their standards.

"We got a lot of good training out of here," Smith said. "Any time we can work jointly it's a bonus for everyone."