Ramstein airmen get confinement for parachute pack job, drug use

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Ramstein airmen get confinement for parachute pack job, drug use
By Jennifer Svan, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, February 27, 2009

Two airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, will serve time in the military’s Mannheim Confinement Facility for their convictions at separate summary courts-martial this week.

Airman 1st Class Rogelio Munoz’s legal troubles began Aug. 6, 2008, when a parachute he packed for a C-130 cargo training airdrop failed to open, according to Capt. John Page, the government’s lead attorney for the case.

Attached to the improperly harnessed parachute were four plastic drums filled with water, used to simulate cargo fuel, Page said. The parachute didn’t open over the drop zone and the cargo hit the ground, prompting the investigation.

"They took all of the parachutes (Munoz) had on the shelf and found most of them had discrepancies," Page said.

Appearing in court Monday, Munoz, 21, pleaded guilty to three charges: dereliction of duty, making a false official statement and destruction of government property. The destroyed cargo was worth $484.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61006