Posted on Aug 1, 2014
VIP Culture denounced as cause of death in airborne death; in what other ways does the VIP culture impair the force?
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The 18th Airborne Corps has determined that the VIP culture contributed to a training accident that killed a bright and revered O-6. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/07/31/3311768/army-vip-culture-led-to-parachute.html.
This denunciation of VIP culture centered on a safety and training issue, but how deep do you think the problem goes? Share your stories if you can.
This denunciation of VIP culture centered on a safety and training issue, but how deep do you think the problem goes? Share your stories if you can.
Training
Accident
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
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Sir, a very tragic and preventable accident.
I believe this is the first time I've ever seen a shift away from the 'VIP Culture' in the Army and I'm happy to see it. I am dismayed that it has taken an even such as this to bring about this long overdue change.
Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson has, in my opinion, made a very strong statement in his implementation of corrective actions. I certainly hope that those changes remain in place. There is no room for 'exceptions' for anyone in an area as dangerous as this. There is plenty of blame to go around, but after the fact helps no one. The important thing now is change going forward. His actions were not the typical 'knee jerk reaction' that we are used to seeing, but a very thoughtful, and enforceable plan of no exceptions to doing what is RIGHT.
Again.. I just wish it hadn't taken such a tragedy for this to happen.
I believe this is the first time I've ever seen a shift away from the 'VIP Culture' in the Army and I'm happy to see it. I am dismayed that it has taken an even such as this to bring about this long overdue change.
Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson has, in my opinion, made a very strong statement in his implementation of corrective actions. I certainly hope that those changes remain in place. There is no room for 'exceptions' for anyone in an area as dangerous as this. There is plenty of blame to go around, but after the fact helps no one. The important thing now is change going forward. His actions were not the typical 'knee jerk reaction' that we are used to seeing, but a very thoughtful, and enforceable plan of no exceptions to doing what is RIGHT.
Again.. I just wish it hadn't taken such a tragedy for this to happen.
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LTC (Join to see)
I agree. It's embarrassing that the mischief happened at all, and tragic considering COL Wright's death.
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I have no problem at all as a Jumpmaster with taking the Senior leadership to the side and conducting their pre-jump training on the DZ since their schedule often does not afford them the time to conduct it elsewhere, with the same lead time as the main element.
When it comes to airborne operations, The JM Team outranks everyone on the DZ. I will not ever compromise my integrity, since that could kill someone. If a CSM/GO wants to chew me out for making them go through a safety brief and pre-jump training, that's fine. I will respectfully inform them that it is required, and that's that.
I've scratched people from jumps before for pulling 'VIP' games on the DZ - I'll do it again.
When it comes to airborne operations, The JM Team outranks everyone on the DZ. I will not ever compromise my integrity, since that could kill someone. If a CSM/GO wants to chew me out for making them go through a safety brief and pre-jump training, that's fine. I will respectfully inform them that it is required, and that's that.
I've scratched people from jumps before for pulling 'VIP' games on the DZ - I'll do it again.
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This is a shame. Rank should never be used in this way. I recall hearing about this but didn't realize it was an officer and the circumstance surrounding it.
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Well, in my experience, the VIP culture led to a field-grade putting soldiers at risk for his own purposes and an eventual BCD for said field-grade.
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MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
Please tell me 1LT Nick Kidwell that the "COL Steele" in that article is not one in the same.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca Negative. That particular person didn't make it past LTC before the court martial, BCD and all-expenses-paid trip to Leavenworth.
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Sir,
Very interesting article. Col. Wright's death is certainly a tragic one but hopefully because of it the military learns a lesson and does not repeat it's mistakes. I think Gen. Anderson hit the nail on the head.
Very interesting article. Col. Wright's death is certainly a tragic one but hopefully because of it the military learns a lesson and does not repeat it's mistakes. I think Gen. Anderson hit the nail on the head.
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Pi$$ poor all the way around. Just goes to show how the domino effect gets kicked off by one lousy call. I feel bad for the COL's family for something so preventable.
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While the article does indicate VIP culture being a portion of the blame, what actually killed the COL according to the article was a probable weak exit combined with improper packing and drop altitude. I'm not supporting a VIP culture at all, but there were some very concrete things that could have been fixed by the jumper, the rigger, and the JMs that would have allowed for a safe landing. People act or fail to act.
The most intriguing section to me was " Wright’s parachute was not packed to the latest standards and had two small flaws. The unit, known as the 11th Quartermaster Company, was known as a sweatshop in the Army. Officials had demanded a restructuring of the company after the 2011 death of another paratrooper Staff Sgt. Jamal Clay. The overhaul never happened, Cavoli wrote."
The most intriguing section to me was " Wright’s parachute was not packed to the latest standards and had two small flaws. The unit, known as the 11th Quartermaster Company, was known as a sweatshop in the Army. Officials had demanded a restructuring of the company after the 2011 death of another paratrooper Staff Sgt. Jamal Clay. The overhaul never happened, Cavoli wrote."
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LTC (Join to see)
I disagree, and the point may be semantic but it is still important.
The question is this; what was the triggering event? A weak exit can kill, improper chute packing can kill, and low drop altitude can kill. But for any of these conditions, the COL may have lived. Did these mistakes have an antecedent cause? I think the particular aspect of the VIP culture at issue in the article, i.e. that training must conform to the convenience of senior officers, caused those mistakes. Those COLs who showed up late and put undue demands on the process caused 1) a lack of SAT that led to a weak exit and failure to pull reserve, 2) an oversight in jump altitude that was improper given the chutes used, and 3) a labor strain that led to poor quality control.
Mid-grade NCO jumpmasters should have the brass to stop Dragon6 himself from jumping, but that is only one of the issues that needs (needed) correcting, and I think it is the lesser of the two problems. People do "act or fail to act," but leaders, especially senior leaders, create problems by making missions conform to them.
The question is this; what was the triggering event? A weak exit can kill, improper chute packing can kill, and low drop altitude can kill. But for any of these conditions, the COL may have lived. Did these mistakes have an antecedent cause? I think the particular aspect of the VIP culture at issue in the article, i.e. that training must conform to the convenience of senior officers, caused those mistakes. Those COLs who showed up late and put undue demands on the process caused 1) a lack of SAT that led to a weak exit and failure to pull reserve, 2) an oversight in jump altitude that was improper given the chutes used, and 3) a labor strain that led to poor quality control.
Mid-grade NCO jumpmasters should have the brass to stop Dragon6 himself from jumping, but that is only one of the issues that needs (needed) correcting, and I think it is the lesser of the two problems. People do "act or fail to act," but leaders, especially senior leaders, create problems by making missions conform to them.
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MAJ(P) (Join to see)
LTC (Join to see) Sir, your right, mostly semantic. Everything happens in the context of culture.
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