Master Sgt. Paul Zagorski (left), an aircrew flight equipment technician with the 176th Operations Support Squadron, detailed to the 212th Rescue Squadron for parachute rigging, soaks parachutes in the back of a lined pickup truck bed filled with running water in Kapolei, Hawaii, Jan. 26, 2021, during Exercise H20. Parachute riggers, mission support personnel, and pararescue personnel from the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, worked together after every water jump to clean parachutes and gear. After all water jumps, parachutes have to be rinsed of all salt water and hung to dry completel
Master Sgt. Paul Zagorski (left), an aircrew flight equipment technician with the 176th Operations Support Squadron, detailed to the 212th Rescue Squadron for parachute rigging, soaks parachutes in the back of a lined pickup truck bed filled with running water in Kapolei, Hawaii, Jan. 26, 2021, during Exercise H20. Parachute riggers, mission support personnel, and pararescue personnel from the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, worked together after every water jump to clean parachutes and gear. After all water jumps, parachutes have to be rinsed of all salt water and hung to dry completely before being inspected and packed for the next jump. This includes reserve chutes that aren’t deployed during the jump. Alaska Air National Guardsmen were in Hawaii training during Exercise H20, January and February, honing their long-range search and rescue capability in support of the NASA human spaceflight program they are responsible for supporting. The Air Guard’s 176th Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, is the only wing in the Air Force, Guard, and Reserve, with C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and pararescue personnel that combine to provide long-range search and rescue—able to travel the furthest distance in the shortest time, in response to a life-threatening scenario. Select support staff for the exercise were approved for alternate clothing due to parachute washing, hanging, inspecting and packing requirements, and for boating and water activity during the training exercise.
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