It’s a long way down
By Kristy Kibler
Staff writer
Co. E 2/321st IET Cadet goes participates in a rappelling exercise at the Leader’s Training Course. Photo by Jeff Sainlar
The roar of helicopter blades saturates the air. Explosions and machine gun blasts sound from every direction. Thick, purple smoke engulfs the area. And out of nowhere, five Soldiers with M16s appear at the top of the 50-foot tower.
They jump.
Twenty-five feet down, their boots thump against the side of the tower. They push off, rushing toward the ground, until their boots crunch into the gravel. They fan around the tower, taking a knee and pointing their rifles outward toward bleachers where Cadets sit and stare back, wide-eyed.
Welcome to rappelling.
“If you’re not having fun, something’s wrong,” Lt. Col. David Schoenfeld, officer in charge of the rappel tower, told Cadets.
Fun? Tell that to Co. B 2/321st IET Cadet Teri Poirrier. She’s terrified of heights. But making it through the rappelling challenge is a Leader’s Training Course requirement, and there’s only one way down: jump.
As Poirrier stepped off the 50-foot wall, her mind raced.
Co. E 2/321st IET Cadet Kristina Diaz, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Louisville, participates in a rappelling exercise. Photo by Jeff Sainlar
“I thought, ‘I’m jumping off a perfectly good platform for no reason,’” she said. “And about halfway down, I thought, ‘I really want off this rope.’ ”
Although Poirrier’s legs continued to shake and her heart raced even after reaching solid ground, she said the support of her fellow Cadets helped her get through the experience.
And in the end, everyone gets through, even if it takes hours of cajoling and reassuring or several attempts.
“It’s just overcoming their fears of doing something they’ve never done before,” Schoenfeld said.
At LTC, rappelling involves four stages. First, Cadets learn to create their own rope harnesses, called a Swiss seat, and the knots associated with it. They learn to trust their equipment at the shorter 19-foot tower, where they also learn the proper way to brake — pulling the rope tight against their hip to the small of their back to halt their descent.
Do it right, Cadets come to a clean stop. Do it wrong, they get some nasty rope burns on their hand and maybe some souvenir bruises from crashing into the wall.
They also learn how to belay, which is standing at the base of the tower and acting as a safety for a rappeller by holding the rope lightly. If a rappeller needs assistance, the belay person is responsible for pulling the rope steady until he or she regains control.
“It’s important you stay attentive in this position,” 2nd Lt. Jessica Carlock, an instructor at the rappel tower, told Cadets. “You have someone’s life in your hands.”
Then, it’s on to the top of the 50-foot tower. Cadets rappel down, once off the side with the wall and once off the skid, the side with no wall.
Dylan Kull from West Chester University of Co. E2/321 IET. rappels on Sunday afternoon, July 18 2010. Photo by Sarah Gordon.
Along the way, cadre members inspect Cadets’ Swiss seats, gloves and uniforms at least four times to ensure safety. Cadre members also work at the top of each lane to instruct Cadets as they start off and on the ground to monitor the belay people.
There’s a reason. Echo Co. Cadet Michael Robinson learned the value of a sturdy harness and a good belay person when he went “opossum,” or flipped upside down, as he rappelled down the skid side of the tower. His belay person held the rope steady until Robinson could right himself and make it to the ground.
“Hey,” Robinson called to his belay when it was all over. “Thanks for not letting me die.”
Other Cadets find rappelling exhilarating rather than intimidating. Co. A 2/321st IET Cadet Tyler Howd, of the Marion Military Institute in Alabama, arrived at LTC with a fear of heights, but conquered them at Where Eagles Dare, the LTC ropes course.
His newly discovered courage came in handy as he took in the sights 50 feet in the air.
“It was very exciting, just flying off the wall with nothing but a rope,” Howd said. “I was at the top like, ‘I gotta do it, I gotta do it.’ And then I just jumped right off.”
