Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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12 UCW AUGUST 4-10, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Some of the nation's elite soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Special Forces Group have finalized testing the Army's new Parachutist Flotation Device or PFD. Preparation for the PFD test started in mid-April with the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate performing intentional water landings in Jordan Lake, according to Maj. Camden Jordan, ABNSOTD's executive officer. "Planners synchronized early with local emer- gency management, law enforcement and state wildlife agencies to help support the Army's water operations on Jordan Lake," said Jordan. Jordan went on to say rehearsals took place for the multi-tiered and complex infiltration technique before final testing in June. "Located just west of Raleigh, Jordan Lake is one of North Carolina's most pristine waterways, so these agencies provided swift water rescue teams, emergency medical technicians, small boat sup- port and assisted in routing boaters away from the water drop zone while airborne operations are underway," he said. "We relied heavily upon the support of the com- munity to execute this test. Local emergency ser- vices were the lynchpin to this entire test and could not have been executed without their outstanding support," said Sgt. 1st Class John Reed, ABNSOTD's operations noncommissioned officer in charge. According to Dan Shedd, Senior Mechanical En- gineer Developmental Command at Natick, Mas- sachusetts, military planners try real hard to keep airborne operations away from bodies of water. He said on occasion, though, paratroopers can engage high value targets near large bodies of water so they must be equipped accordingly for safety. With flotation bladders that can be inflated using an internal carbon dioxide gas cylinder or an oral inflation tube, once employed in the water, the PFD becomes critical in saving lives. Shedd explained the PFD must suspend a combat-equipped jumper in a "lifesaving" pos- ture for an extended period following an airborne infiltration. "In real-world scenarios," he said, "this critical time allows recovery teams time to locate and ex- tract jumpers in the event of a water landing." Reed said operational testing with soldiers during early June saw participating paratroopers undergoing intensive training cycles geared toward preparing for deliberate water operations. at training began with new equipment train- ing so the soldiers could practice the proper rigging techniques and activation procedures. "Anytime two lifesaving devices are being em- ployed by one soldier, intense attention to detail is required for both proper fit and wear as well as how these systems interact during airborne infiltration," said Staff Sgt. Jonathan R. Copley, an ABNSOTD military freefall master jumpmaster. e rigorous NET training test jumps required the test soldiers of 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Special Forces Group to complete a full combat wa- ter survival test conducted in Fort Bragg's Mott Lake. Sgt. 1st Class Steven Branch, a platoon sergeant and jumpmaster assigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, gave the PFD a thumbs-up. "e PFD is much easier to rig for static line operations," he said. "We barely noticed having it on, and it can easily suspend a soldier with combat equipment for a long time if needed. Overall I was very impressed with every aspect of the PFD." ABNSOTD used the PFD test to train parachute riggers from across the airborne and special opera- tions community in the proper maintenance and care of the new life-saving apparatus once they return to home station. is "maintainer" training included system maintenance, repacking, repair, proper storage, handling, as well as rigging and employment dur- ing water landings. Sgt. Issa Yi, a parachute rigger with the 151st Quarter Master Company said, "e PFD was easy to pack and required no special tools or materials to maintain." COVER A soldier with 3rd Special Forces Group prepares to enter Jordan Lake during military free fall test trials of the Parachutist Flotation Device. (Photo by James L. Finney) (All photos this page courtesy U.S. Army Operational Test Command) COVER 82nd Airborne, 3rd Special Forces Group soldiers test new parachutist life preserver by MIKE SHELTON MIKE SHELTON, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. An 82nd Airborne Division soldier exits a C-27 aircraft over Jordan Lake during testing of the new PFD. (Photo by Chris O'Leary) A 3rd Special Forces Group soldier undergoes vertical wind tunnel training prior to a live airdrop with the Parachutist Flotation Device. (Photo by James L. Finney) An operational test jumper from 3rd SF Group conducts a test trial from high altitude over Laurinburg/Maxton Airfield. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy D. Nephew) An ABNSOTD soldier prepares to en- ter the water prior to the start of pool testing. (Photo by James L. Finney)