I can't figure out what the knucklehead in the background is laughing about. If this is that funny to him I think his head is a little off.

quote:

Originally posted by Surefire:
The guy observing says "Burn it....damn it!" when it appears the drop is going to be successful, until the HUMVEE begins to fall, at which point he is very excited.

He had prior knowledge this was potentially going to happen, I'd bet money on it. A lot of it.

I agree. There was no "Oh shit!" like you would expect. To the contrary, it looked and sounded like the one making the video and they guy commenting (if not the same person) knew what was coming.

quote:

If you know how the system works

...but the accused isn't a rigger. He doesn't know how the system works.

The question nobody is asking: Even if it WAS deliberate sabotage, why were unqualified personnel assigned to rigging operations?

quote:

Originally posted by tanksoldier:

quote:

If you know how the system works

...but the accused isn't a rigger. He doesn't know how the system works.

The question nobody is asking: Even if it WAS deliberate sabotage, why were unqualified personnel assigned to rigging operations?

I agree. I'm not ruling out deliberate sabotage but the identical failure three times over could also point to bad equipment, or improperly trained personal. If they voluntold one NCO for this mission, how many others were part of the working party?

And for any non military reading this and questioning how this could happen, using non MOS or ASI qualified troops in working parties happens all the time. They also court martial people for letting it happen when the results are less than stellar.

https://www.stripes.com/news/s...ound-guilty-1.526073

Sergeant who sent 3 Humvees plummeting from plane found guilty

By NANCY MONTGOMERY | STARS AND STRIPES
Published: May 9, 2018

A 173rd Airborne Brigade soldier was convicted Wednesday of being responsible for the destruction of three Humvees that plummeted to the earth during a 2016 training exercise, an event captured on video that became an internet sensation and an embarrassment to the Army.

Sgt. John Skipper, 29, was found guilty at court martial in Vilseck, Germany, of destroying military property and giving a false official statement, according to a statement from the 7th Army Training Command, based in Grafenwoehr.

Skipper was sentenced by a military jury to a bad-conduct discharge and reduction in grade to E-1.

Skipper, a scout who had been assigned to assist the brigade’s Italy-based parachute riggers during the exercise, intentionally cut parachute straps on three Humvees included in the heavy drop during the exercise, the jury found.

Skipper is assigned to B Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The squadron is part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade headquartered in Vicenza, Italy.

Skipper was criminally charged a year ago.

His sentence could have been harsher. Willful destruction of government property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Negligent destruction carries a maximum punishment of a year in prison, a bad-conduct discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

Skipper was the second soldier to be punished in the incident.

A sergeant first class heard laughing and cursing on a video of the Humvees falling from the sky was punished previously. The sergeant, an observer trainer coach assigned to the 7th ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, was given an administrative letter of reprimand.

The video of the incident has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on YouTube.


montgomery.nancy@stripes.com

WOW. Fucker did it deliberately. Got the Big Chicken Dinner and reduction. Should have gotten some time in the big house, too.

You've got to be pretty screwed in the head to do something like that.

That's the mark of a really pissed soldier, trying to stick it to the Army. I wonder what pissed him off? Is he just an asshole, or was there an absolutely terrible command climate there that made him that angry?

DAMN, intentionally cutting straps....

they should have
reduced him to E1,
made him go dig the Hummvee's out with and Etool,
remove them from the landing zone,
repair them ,
then given him the Big Chicken Dinner.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
A sergeant first class heard laughing and cursing on a video of the Humvees falling from the sky was punished previously. The sergeant, an observer trainer coach assigned to the 7th ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, was given an administrative letter of reprimand.

A senior NCO, an E-7, laughing at this? Totally unprofessional. I hope the LOR went into has official file (OPMF).

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
A sergeant first class heard laughing and cursing on a video of the Humvees falling from the sky was punished previously. The sergeant, an observer trainer coach assigned to the 7th ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, was given an administrative letter of reprimand.

A senior NCO, an E-7, laughing at this? Totally unprofessional. I hope the LOR went into has official file (OPMF).

And an OC/T, no less. I could see an "oh for fuck's sake" but you're not supposed to be actively cheering for the training unit to fail.

What the fuck is wrong with that guy?

He's basically a marked man and his career is over. I wonder what the hell caused him to do this. For him to get to E7, he can't be that stupid to think he'd never be caught.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
DAMN, intentionally cutting straps....

they should have
reduced him to E1,
made him go dig the Hummvee's out with and Etool,
remove them from the landing zone,
repair them ,
then given him the Big Chicken Dinner.

And forced him to repay the Army for the Hummvees

Thanks for the update. It’s not often we get to compare the facts of the matter with all the ignorant—but totally self-confident—speculation aired when something like this first happens.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
What the fuck is wrong with that guy?

He's basically a marked man and his career is over. I wonder what the hell caused him to do this. For him to get to E7, he can't be that stupid to think he'd never be caught.

I think Sgt Skipper was and E5. The article said an E7 was the one who got the letter.

Glad we got the closure. Having spent my whole adult life in the Army, I would have bet 2 things seeing that video: #1, it was intentional. #2, the guy laughing was a PVT or E4.

Well, I sure was wrong on #2! I actually have no big issue with a lower enlisted laughing at something burning in (where nobody is hurt). Heck, I laughed at a HMMWV flying crooked under a Chinook and I was signed for it and responsible for it! (Had it burned in, I would have been paying it back, or a significant chunk of it, out of my pay check and rightly so, I was responsible)

That said, posting the video giving the Army a public black eye added to the amount of glee show by an E7 who was an observer-controller for the exercise? Nope, nope, nope.

quote:

His sentence could have been harsher. Willful destruction of government property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Negligent destruction carries a maximum punishment of a year in prison, a bad-conduct discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

So, why wasn't the sentence harsher?!

Wow. Like arabian said. There's a whole bunch of people that inspect those. As the loadmaster. If i was on that plane. I did a last inspection with the JAI and this would have been caught. So this dude went to each aircraft and cut them. Thats not a common occurance. What a dick

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Thanks for the update. It’s not often we get to compare the facts of the matter with all the ignorant—but totally self-confident—speculation aired when something like this first happens.

I missed the thread the first time around so it was fun reading from the update backwards.

Because it's cheaper and easier to just kick him out with bad paperwork.

quote:

Originally posted by synthplayer:

quote:

His sentence could have been harsher. Willful destruction of government property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Negligent destruction carries a maximum punishment of a year in prison, a bad-conduct discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

So, why wasn't the sentence harsher?!

I think he's damn lucky no one was injured or killed in his little stunt. What if one of those Humvees somehow had a malfunction on exiting the aircraft because of his sabotage, taking down the aircraft and killing the crew. There are enough risks with the regular job in the military without playing stupid games.

Having been on the "Look, up in the sky!" part of such things, never, under any circumstances is it OK to fuck with shit that "goes up there".

You do not have the luxury of simply pulling over in the emergency lane while you un-fuck some dipshit's oversight, failure to perform, missed T.O. procedure or fucking "practical joke".

Fuck him every way possible, sideways, and repeatedly, and never let him pass by without shoving it in his face.

Fun and games are reserved for times and places no one gets permanently damaged.