The Sgt. Charles L. Baney trophy. Trophy is given to the Rigger unit winning the annual Rigger Rodeo competition. Sgt. Baney was killed in SVN, Oct. 15, '67 when a C-130 crashed enroute to make a drop at Khe Sanh.

Chapter News & Information

The Chapter News has changed from several news pages to all news being placed in this one single location.  Because of all the pictures, this page may load slowly.

19 Sep 09 - Congratulations go out to Jim Kennebeck and his new bride Elaine.  They were married on Saturday, 19 Sep 09.  They will eventually reside in the Fayetteville area.

15 Sep 09 -  Originally posted on 18 Jul 09 - There are several questions that need to be answered with regard to membership dues, cards, and the Association of Quartermasters overall lack of responsiveness.  If you have comments or concerns that you would like addressed, please send them to rhcweb@aol.com.  We would also like to hear what you have to say about the RHC stepping out from under the umbrella of the AQM and standing alone as a non-profit association.

21 Aug 09 - SFC Keith Trail shot his way to finish 8th out of 385 compound bow archers at the 125th U.S. National Archery Tournament Aug. 3-7 at Joyce Park in Hamilton, Ohio.  Click here for the full story.

14 Aug 09 - The 2009 Rigger Rodeo champions were awarded at the Rigger Ball.  The competing teams were talented and skilled Riggers that did an excellent job representing their field and units.  To see photos of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams, click here.  Thanks to 2LT Nuber, WO1 Ivey, SFC Merritt, and MSG Sturdee for making it all possible.

14 Aug 09 - The Rigger Ball was held at the Ft. Bragg Officers Club.  There were probably over 350 in attendance.  CW4(R) Ken Studer was an awesome guest speaker.  An "attaboy" goes out to CW2 Ken Kolbo and others that helped organize this spectacular event.  For pictures, click here.

13 Aug 09 - The Rigger Social was held at the SWC Rigger Facility.  A good time was had by all who attended.  A special thanks to CW3 Kent Dawson, SFC Jones, and the SWC Riggers for hosting this great event.  Click here for pictures.

18 Jul 09 - The RHC President's term will be up and an election will be held to fill the position at the 19 Sep 09 meeting.  We are looking for a few good candidates.  If you want to vote you must be present at the meeting.

18 Jul 09 -  There are several questions that need to be answered with regard to membership dues, cards, and the Association of Quartermasters overall lack of responsiveness.  If you have comments or concerns that you would like addressed, please send them to rhcweb@aol.com.  We would also like to hear what you have to say about the RHC stepping out from under the umbrella of the AQM and standing alone as a non-profit association.  

7 Jul 09 - Soldiers make a difference one airdrop at a time.  Soldiers speak about Low Cost Low Altitude (LCLA) airdrop from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno, Afghanistan.  Click here for the story.

1 Jul 09 - AMC is touting over 15 million pounds of supplies and equipment have been airdropped for OEF/OIF in 2008. Click here for the story from USAF Central PAO.

25 May 09 - Del Weitman called me and said the RHC picnic originally scheduled for 5 June has been cancelled.  There was a lack of support and he didn't want to schedule a picnic at Smith Lake for over 100 people if no one was going to show up.  Maybe next time.  Thanks for all the effort Delma (and Helga too)!

18 Apr 09 - The RHC held a fundraiser in Hope Mills, NC and raised just over $1000 - Way to go!!  Thanks to everyone who helped with the event, even the folks that were only able to come out and "get a plate".  PICS here.

21 Mar 09 - The RHC has finally raised enough money to fully fund the Rigger Memorial, being placed at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville.  It will take a couple of months to get the monument made and everything organized.  To see a list of contributors, click here.

23 Jan 09 - Check out this article on how the Chief Tyndall and his Riggers from the 824th are supporting the war effort in both OEF and OIF.  Click here for the article.

21 Mar 09 - At the monthly RHC meeting, Jim Kennebeck stepped down as the Vice President of the RHC.  Bill Bond was elected as the new VP.  Thanks for everything Jim and Congratulations to Bill!

7 Feb 09 - The Association of Quartermasters is trying to raise awareness about their annual scholarship program.  They plan on giving out 4 scholarships worth $900, $800, $600, and $500.  For more information visit their website by clicking here.

20 Dec 08 - The RHC raffled off an awesome print at the 20 Dec 08 breakfast and raised just over $1000 for the Rigger memorial (see below).  CW5 Todd Biederman purchased the winning ticket - Congratulations!!  Click here to take a look at the print.

15 Dec 08 - CPT Bamba, CDR of the 600th QM (AER&S), would like to invite you to the deactivation of his unit on Friday, 19 DEC 08.  Click here for the invitation.

11 Nov 08 - RHC Vice President Jim Kennebeck and member Karl Whitby represented the RHC as they placed a wreath to honor our veterans during the a ceremony in Hope Mills hosted by VFW post 10630.  Click here for photos.

8 Nov 08 - The RHC marched/rode in Fayetteville's annual Veterans Day Parade.  Once again, Jesmer allowed us to use his perfectly restored Jeeps for the occasion.  Click here for photos.

16 Oct 08 - The 5th QM gets busy packing over 8,000 parachutes for the 173rd Airborne in Germany.  Click here to see the article.  Thanks to CW3 Jose Martinez for sending this in.

13 Nov 08 - Trae Edwards Productions was responsible for taking photos at the 2008 Rigger Ball.  They experienced some difficulties getting all the photos out in a timely manner.  Please direct your concerns to his website or call Trae at 910-670-8369.

7 Nov 08 - Fayetteville Cares is actively seeking volunteers that want to help with the Boots and Booties event on November 15, 2008.  For more information on the "World's Largest Military Baby Shower" visit their website.  To volunteer, contact Charlie Cogswell.

7 Oct 08 - Parachute Rigger tests equipment to be fielded to Soldiers.  Click here to see the article highlighting SSG Paredes' efforts while assigned to the ABNSOTD, Ft. Bragg, NC.

1 Oct 08 - The 824th QM dedicated their Rigger Facility in Balad, Iraq to honor SPC Eric T. Burri.  SPC Burri was killed on June 7th, 2005 when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded near his HUMVEE in Baghdad, Iraq.  Click here for more info.

26 Sep 08 - The 2008 Rigger Ball was hosted by the 11th QM with approximately 350 people in attendance.  Special thanks to Crystal Gonzalez, Ken Kolbo, Michelle McDevitt, Charlie Cogswell, and guest speaker Al Lanier for their efforts in making this a great event.  To view pictures, click here.

25 Sep 08 - The 2008 Rigger Social was hosted by the USAJFKSWC&S Rigger Facility.  There were over 100 retired and active duty Riggers, friends, and family present for the fun.  To view pictures, click here.

24 Sep 08 - The 2008 Rigger Rodeo was hosted by the 11th QM Co.  There were 9 different teams from across the United States and Europe.  Special thanks to Keith Trail and the effort he put into organizing the event.  Click here to see photos of the winners being presented with awards.

20 Sep 08 - Jim Kennebeck was elected as the new Red Hat Chapter Vice President at our September monthly meeting.  Congratulations to Jim.

1 Sep 08 - A Swiss parachute collector has contacted the RHC for help in trying to identify a very old parachute rigger kit.  Click here to look and see if you can help him identify it.

3 Sep 08 - Sesame Street is coming to Ft Bragg Oct 1st and 2nd.  DoD ID card holders get up to 6 free tickets per family.  Stroller friendly and kids under 2yrs don't need a ticket.  Click here for details.

31 Aug 08 - During the July 2008 Red Hat Chapter (RHC) meeting, the motion was made (and carried) to raise funds (Approx. $3700) to place a Rigger Memorial along the entrance of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, NC.  Click here for more information and/or to donate.  To see a list of contributors, click here.

29 Aug 08 - CW2 Joe DeCosta organized Riggers from the 11th QM and Special Operations for a motorcycle ride at 1000hrs, 29 Aug 08, to help raise money to sponsor E-4 and below to the 2008 Rigger Ball.  The ride started in Hope Mills, stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Smithfield for lunch, and then we cruised back home.  Click here for PICS.

24 Aug 08 - Soldiers of the 824th QM CO (AD) Det 6 set up a drop zone in Iraq for the delivery of Low Cost Aerial Delivery (LCADS) bundles.  Click here for photos.

21 Jul 08 - The 2008 Rigger Ball is scheduled for 26 Sep 08 at the Ft Bragg Officers Club.  Ticket reservation forms are available here.  The deadline for registration is ASAP!!  As of 18 Sep 08, over 300 tickets have been sold and 25 soldiers have been sponsored by others, I think it is going to be maxed out!!  Get your tickets now and consider sponsoring a Soldier E-4 and below to help them offset the cost of attending.

16 Jul 08 - The 196th QM hosted the 2008 Red Hat Chapter Reunion on 20 Jun 08.  Click here for details and photos (write-up done by CW2 Tony Hall).  Even though the RHC voted to pay for the "eats", Chief Hall insisted that he take care of the tab (thanks Tony!).  Our hats are off to Chief, "JJ" (Soon to be Mr. "JJ"), and all the Riggers of the 196th that made this possible.

14 Jul 08 - The normal monthly meeting location has changed to "Two Brothers Pizza", just outside the Reilly Rd. gate.  A map is available at the link on the top of the page.

7 May 08 - SFC Trail announces the 2008 Rigger Rodeo.  Dates are 22-26 Sep 08, additional info click here.  The event will culminate with awards handed out at the 2008 Rigger Ball. 

5 May 08 - CW4 Lantz re-enlisted SSG Baysden in a CH-47 over Iraq.  How cool! 

CW4 Lantz Re-ups SSG Baysden

While in a CH-47 in flight over Iraq!

26 Mar 08 - It looks like the 824th QM is "doing their thing" in Iraq.  For photos of CDS in the aircraft, in the air, and recovery operations - click here.

26 Mar 08 - "Airborne Operations Return to Ft. Hood"  CW2 Frank Badalucco puts on a demonstration to help expose airdrop and airborne operations to the 4th Sustainment Brigade.  Get the full story and photos by clicking here.

17 Mar 08 - If you haven't heard, the 2008 International Rigger/Dispatcher Reunion will be held in Siaigon, Vietnam 1-7 SEP 08.  Click here for more information.

Alan Henry sends us: 

14 Feb 08 - The Red Hat Chapter has learned that one of our International friends, Bill Campbell, is losing his eyesight and nothing can be done about it.  This combined with his lack of hearing presents a huge handicap for him and his wife Beth to deal with.  If you visit the states in the future, the RHC will gladly give you all the assistance you might need!

18 Jan 08 - Check out a 4 page article (click here) on Low Cost Low Altitude (LCLA) airdrop in Afghanistan.  It is titled "An Innovative Approach to Combat Logistics"

1 Jan 08 - New 2008 Pay Chart (click here)

7th SFG(A) Riggers in Afghanistan

Sources say a small number of Riggers in 7th SFG(A) currently deployed in support of OEF have rigged hundreds of thousands of pounds of beans, bullets, fuel, among many other things.  I say they are kicking some serious Afghan butt!!  Great jobs guys, keep up the good work, and come home soon!

   Rigging some big 'ole bullets                  K-loader maxed out with CDS  

SGT Porchia's Re-up    Crowder's promo to SGT      SPC Krey's Re-up  

Apr '07 Monthly Breakfast

     At our monthly April '07 breakfast, the Red Hat Chapter donated over $400 to AER (Army Emergency Relief).  At one time or another, almost everyone has been to AER personally or sent one of their soldiers.  They offer many services to all soldiers.  The money was presented to SFC Sorgrapheth by Del Weitman (RHC President), Buz Baskett (RHC VP), and CPT Fickel (Former CDR, 11th QM Company).

     We also had the pleasure of listening to Paola Salas' (daughter of SSG Paredas) brief summary of her trip to Washington DC.  She was very articulate and her presentation skills were awesome.  The Red Hat Chapter had the pleasure of sponsoring part of her trip.  It was great that she gave us the "Rest of the story".

                        Del Weitman presents over $400 to AER         Paola Salas presentation

CW2 Anthony Hall tells us about the Riggers recent mission in Italy:

Click here for the Video (approx. 5MB)

     "This was an effort that was done after a mission jump week. The 173^rd ABCT had requested and jumped 1500 T-10D’s with zero malfunctions and allowed for over 1400 Paratroopers to maintain proficiency and meet the 4 “jump rule requirements” for the up and coming deployment. These 173^rd AD Platoon Parachute Riggers has been recognized for an effort that as mentioned earlier allowed for this ABCT to become and maintain deployment readiness."

     "We are very proud of each and everyone of these Parachute Riggers that not only maintained proficiency as a Parachute Rigger, Paratroopers and Jumpmasters, but as General Schoomaker said, “A SOLDIER FIRST AND THEIR PROSPECTIVE MOS SECOND.” These fine Paratroopers have demonstrated that through Grafenwohr rotations, the MRX and JRMC. Thank you for sharing this to our great brotherhood!"

CW2 Joe Decosta (11th QM) sent us pictures of his mighty Riggers building CDS bundles over seas in support of the Global War On Terror

On 20 JAN 07, we held our monthly Red Hat Chapter Breakfast at the Golden Corral on Skibo Rd.  We started at just after 0900hrs and the breakfast/meeting lasted about one and a half hours.  

CW5 Jimenez gave us a briefing on where the Rigger field is going with technology.  He talked about precision guided airdrop where bundles weighing between 501-2200lbs can get out of an aircraft at altitudes up to 25,000ft AGL and guide themselves using GPS technology up to 20 miles away and land within 150 meters of the intended landing point.  He also showed a couple of videos of heavy drop and paratroopers exiting the aircraft.  Great stuff, we appreciate him taking the time to share information with us.

Below are some photos from the breakfast.

Our Chapter Vice President "Buz" Baskett (left) and President Del Weitman hard at work.

Bill Bond and Fred Chrisman talking about the "Good 'Ole Days"

We had about 30 people attend the January Breakfast

CW2 Joe Decosta's beautiful daughters.

2006 International Rigger Reunion

To view or purchase pictures from the reunion click here.

The Red Hat Chapter hosted the 2006 International Rigger (and Air Dispatcher) Reunion in beautiful Fredericksburg , Virginia , 13-17 September.  We had 108 people show up for the reunion, including 43 international visitors.  Fellowship, camaraderie, and fun was had by all.  I think everyone that attended would agree it was a complete success.  The story goes something like this…

It started on a Wednesday.  Everyone arrived at the hotel, registered, and enjoyed free drinks in the hospitality room prior to dinner.  After the welcome dinner, some returned to the hospitality room for a while.  Of course Jim Kennebeck started selling raffle tickets early.  His raffle ended up being a huge success.

On Thursday, we loaded the buses and traveled to Washington D.C. for a guided tour of WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam Memorials.  Our tour guides left a little to be desired, but the Memorials made up for it.  We then visited Arlington national cemetery and were able to witness the “Changing of the Guard” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (quite impressive).  We returned to the hotel and went separate directions for dinner.  Most folks linked back up in the hospitality room later to try their luck at winning some of the great prizes Jim Kennebeck was raffling off.

Friday morning started with a chance to visit downtown Fredericksburg and do a little shopping at all the neat stores available.  After we all grabbed a bite to eat at one of the many local establishments, we headed off for a guided tour of several Civil war sites in and around Fredericksburg.  The National Park Service provided two of the absolutely best guides we have ever seen – simply amazing!  We all ate dinner downtown at “Uncle Sam’s” restaurant.  The food was tasty, but the entertainment afterward was even better.  We had the pleasure of watching the “Skyline Country Cloggers”  Their performance was fun to watch and filled the air with excitement.  Afterward, we returned to the hospitality room for drinks and Jim’s famous raffle.

We boarded the buses again Saturday and headed towards Ft Lee, Virginia.  Our destination was the United States Army Quartermaster Center and School’s “Parachute Rigger School”, which is housed in a brand new facility.  We were broken into groups and given a guided tour through each of the different phases of Rigger School.  After our tour, we made a brief stop at the Quartermaster Museum.  By now we were all quite hungry, so we ate lunch at the one of the “Chow Halls” on Ft. Lee.  The food was much better than some had anticipated.  After lunch, we returned to the hotel and the Red Hat Chapter members convened a meeting.  The primary focus of the meeting was to fill the elected positions within the Chapter’s leadership.  1SG(R) Del Weitman was unanimously re-elected as Chapter President.  SFC(R) Wagner “Buz” Baskett was elected as the Vice President.  CW3(R) Gaylin “Jess” Jesmer remained as the Quartermaster (treasurer), and Elaine Whitby accepted appointment as the Chapter Secretary.  Later that evening was the formal dinner with CW4 Leo Venckus as the guest speaker.  His words were inspiring.  The dinner ended with Jim Kennebeck raffling off 10 items.  Afterwards, many retired to the hospitality room were drinks were drunk, stories were told, and Jim raffled off the rest of his prizes.

Sunday we loaded the buses and headed back to Washington D.C. for the Smithsonian Air and Space museum.  After several hours of exploring the museum and a bite to eat for lunch, the buses were loaded for our return trip to the hotel.  Everyone attended the farewell dinner at Brock’s Grill.  After dinner, we returned to the hotel and were able to enjoy one last drink with some of our new found friends before we had to say good bye.  This was a bittersweet end to a wonderful 5 days.  Folks departed at their leisure the next morning.

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