LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Jose Lugo, 47th Operation Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment technician, can often be found in the parachute packing room, sorting through dozens of lines, making sense of each inch of fabric that Laughlin pilots depend on should they ever need to eject from their aircraft.
Lugo has been packing parachutes for a while now, but he hasn’t always been packing parachutes for the U.S. Air Force. He started his craft in 2007, as a parachute rigger in the U.S. Army. As a Del Rio native, he felt a calling back to his home after his commitment was up in the Army, but he didn’t leave empty handed.
“I joined the Army because I wanted to do something interesting,” Lugo said. “I went through airborne school after boot camp, and from there I became a parachute rigger. I got to be part of aerial delivery operations and pack personnel parachutes, and things of that nature so I took a lot of experience home with me.”
After the military, Lugo said he was met with many options that were available thanks to his military service. In addition to being a part of the team at Laughlin, he’s also defending his community with the Val Verde County Sheriff’s office.
Some see the military as a life-long career, but Lugo says regardless which way service members decide to go, the military can be a great stepping stone to set up long-term success.
“If it wasn’t for the military, I wouldn’t have this job right now,” he said. “I can’t say what opportunities I’d have without the military, but it played a big part in setting myself up for the future, and I don’t think I’d be here right now if I didn’t take the chance to serve.”