Jumpmaster ensures safe airborne operations

Published April 21, 2014
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
JBER Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Army 1st Lt. Robert Tester watched through a window in a C-17 Globemaster III as it took off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson loaded with Soldiers. As they gained altitude and went to the target location, he gave commands and heard the Soldiers repeat the words back as they complied.

The Soldiers had already been briefed on what to expect, and what was expected of them. They had performed personal and safety inspections to ensure their equipment and aircraft were ready to go, and now they were on the plane, strapped in and waiting for the order.

Tester, 84th Engineer Support Company (Airborne), 6th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Airborne) executive officer and jumpmaster, gave the command. The side door opened and the Soldiers jumped out in single file as yellow static lines stretched out between the jumpers and the aircraft until parachutes deployed.

According to the Fort Benning, Ga., Jumpmaster website, a jumpmaster has the skills necessary to perform a combat-equipped jump and the proper attaching, jumping and releasing of combat and individual equipment while participating in the jump. He knows the procedures for rigging individual equipment containers and door bundles, the personal parachute, how to perform a jumpmaster personnel inspection, the duties of a drop zone safety officer, how to give briefings on related topics, and how to perform a combat jump from an Air Force aircraft, day or night.

Tester's parents and grandfathers were in the Army and Air Force. For him, it's a family tradition, and getting to jump is an extra bonus, he said.

"I was airborne while I was enlisted, I really enjoyed it; it's a different community," he said. "Any day you can jump out of an airplane and get paid for it is a good day."

He served from 2000 to 2008 before deciding he wanted a change.

"I wanted to serve in a different capacity, so I went from 'green' to 'gold,'" he said, describing how he was commissioned. "I separated from the Army and attended St. Leo University in Florida. I then commissioned in 2011 and came here."

Tester has served a total of 11 years - time he spent leaping out of aircraft.

It takes a lot to be a jumpmaster, he said.

"[Candidates] have to have at least 12 jumps out of high-performance Air Force aircraft," said Army Lt. Col. Bill Conde, 6th Engineer Battalion commander. "Generally, we want them on airborne or jump status for about 12 months."

Candidates have to be a noncommissioned officer, corporal or higher; or a commissioned or warrant officer, Tester said.

Conde looks for leaders; they could be squad leaders at the company level, or platoon leaders, or company executive officers. By the time they are company commander or a field grade officer, they've already been jumpmaster qualified, he said. There are also jumpmasters at the battalion level and other areas.

"Every candidate has to go through a process," the commander said. "They have to have a physical. They have to meet basic requirements, physically and experience-wise.

Ultimately, that package comes to me. The second half of it is really subjective. It is based on recommendations and my final decision. There are guys who are proficient in airborne operations and have a passion for it, and also have the capacity to bear that level of responsibility with Soldier's lives and keep their cool while they're doing their duties as a jumpmaster."

The package then goes to U.S. Army Alaska, to U.S. Army Pacific, and then to jumpmaster school. Once approved, Conde is able to send a Soldier to school, he said.
The roughly two-week-long school teaches Soldiers technical information related to the parachute, how to prepare and use everything, and how to do the jumpmaster personnel inspection. Soldiers also learn things jumpers need to do to safely exit from an aircraft and avoid any injuries or other problems, Tester said.

"Once you graduate that school, you're officially a jumpmaster," he said. "However, there are different duties; you have to perform a couple jumpmaster duties prior to actually being able to do primary jumpmaster duties. You have to conduct two safety duties - controlling the static lines in the aircraft as the jumpers exit - one assistant jumpmaster duty, and then you can do a primary jumpmaster duty, the position to actually command the Soldiers to jump from the aircraft - they give the commands that everybody listens to."

The most challenging part, Tester said, is getting the novice jumpers to trust their equipment and procedures.

"We have jumpers of all skill levels," the 11-year veteran said. "Some of them are novice and some of them are rather experienced. The challenging aspect is to get the novice jumpers to understand that, if they do what we tell them to do, their equipment will work, that they are going to exit the aircraft safely and efficiently and be able to carry on their mission when they get on the ground."

The jumpmaster's job getting Soldiers to jump safely ends when all the jumpers have left the plane, he said, but that Soldier's job may not be over yet - he still has to lead.

"Most jumpmasters are leaders," he said. "Once you hit the drop zone, you still have a leadership duty. We've got to hit the ground and make sure we have everybody and all the equipment so we can conduct whatever mission we have, whether it's airfield seizure or airfield construction."

Tester said he also enjoys the impact his job has on the greater JBER mission.
"With JBER, we use [Air Force C-17s] pretty frequently," the jumpmaster said. "The ability to have the joint base and coordinate directly with the pilots makes it really helpful. I'm just doing my part; I enjoy the small part that I have. The jumpers do that part and we do it really well."

The airborne community is relatively small, but holds special meaning, he said.

"I really enjoy it," Tester said. "Not only are you part of the one percent of the population that serves, you're part of the small percentage that jumps out of airplanes."
His commander voiced his confidence in the lieutenant.

"Bobby Tester is one of our most seasoned and one of our top jumpmasters in the battalion," Conde said. "He's got a ton of experience in the arctic. He's a really good, thorough, jumpmaster. He's very experienced, very safety oriented, and is very confident in his duties."

Tester recommends anyone wanting to join the military consider going airborne or becoming a jumpmaster.

"I'd absolutely recommend this job to anyone wanting to join the military," he said. "The ability to say that you're a paratrooper and to pass that legacy on is something that not everybody has the opportunity to do.

"It's a great feeling knowing that we're able to do this, we get paid for it, and one day, if it's ever needed, we can use this capability as directed for whatever operation might come up," he said.