Knights have traditionally been a symbol of valor and an embodiment of honor and courage. In today’s fast and sometimes frightening modern world we have retained our heroes. For the last fifty years the men and women of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, “Golden Knights” have been exemplifying these old norms through dedication to their service and country and their pursuit of perfection in the sport of skydiving has made them a force to be reckoned with.

However, unlike the Knights of old, the Golden Knights have a larger, more pressing mission: to support and promote the Army’s recruiting goals. Each year, the Black and Gold Demonstration Teams tirelessly traverse the country demonstrating far and wide in front of 12 million people, at air shows and sporting events. Knights meet with recruiters and potential Soldiers in order to pass along the Army’s messages. Golden Knights support and emulate the Army values in all they do; Knights embody the Warrior Ethos, they remember being a Soldier is an honor to the country and supports its’ Call to Duty. Golden Knights are also on hand to remind the American public that it is their duty to support our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines by honoring their service and welcoming them home.

In addition to meeting the public at air shows, proudly displaying the Army emblems and colors the Knights reach a third of the population of the United States, every year, through the media, in press, television and on the radio. Knights grant interviews to media outlets, hosting press riders on their aircraft, during shows and always have their freefall footage and images readily available immediately after performances. Another way the Knights reach the community is through their Tandem Orientation Program. Members of the Tandem Team travel with the Demonstration Teams in order to tandem influential citizens. Some of the Tandem Teams former passengers include Former President George H.W. Bush; the Mayor of Sturgis, S.D., Mark Ziegler; Miss USA 2005, Chelsea Cooley; Miss North Carolina 2005, Brooke McLaurin, MTV Video Jockey, Vanessa Manillo; actor R. Lee Ermey, the host of Mail Call and Golf Legend Tiger Woods to name a few.

Another highly skilled group of Soldiers with the Knights are the competitors. The Style and Accuracy Team as well as the Formation Freefall Team circle the globe competing in parachuting competitions and fascinating the skydiving world with their record of 423 national champions, 21 national and seven world team titles. In addition to those accomplishments the team claims, in its’ Alumni ranks, the only six-time world champion parachutist in formation skydiving. Competitors enable the Knights to reach the public, beyond the skydiving and military community, by escorting potential future soldiers around the drop zones at their meets, visiting schools, working with local recruiters to help get the message out about all the opportunity the Army affords people and attesting to how the Army has made a difference in each of their lives. “Competition allows the Soldiers to exhibit the Warrior Ethos of never quit against the best parachutist in the United States and the world. This strengthens the bonds between nations at the Soldier level,” said Sergeant Major Michael Eitniear. The competitors regularly travel overseas to international competitions, winning, bringing home the gold and forging cross-nation bonds. More importantly the competitors are out representing the best in the Army and the Nation, making them a very important public relations tool. Thus fortifying their time honored position as the Army’s goodwill ambassadors to the world.

The Demonstration Teams, Tandem Team and Competition Teams rely heavily on the hard work and dedication of the Aviation Section. The Aviation Section is the back bone of the parachute team. These are the Soldiers who ensure all teams arrive safely to their destinations and enable the jumpers to use the aircraft as a jump platform, for shows tandems and practice competitions. The pilots and crew members accomplish these important missions using a fleet of four aircraft and some of the best Army aviators. “Flying and supporting the United States Army Parachute Team has and is one of the most rewarding assignments that I have had in my military career,” said Chief Warrant Officer Gerhard Turner, pilot, Aviation Section. “The many venues, locations, and people that I am able to experience and interact with are phenomenal.”

The Headquarters Section provides logistic and personal support for the team. These duties include show scheduling, administrations, finance, supply, parachute maintenance and media relations. The Headquarters mission enables the demonstrators and competitors to concentrate on putting on great shows and bringing home the gold. This is the way things have been on the team since its inception. Starting in 1959 with 13 men, known as the Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team, soon designated the U.S. Army Parachute Team. The Golden Knights swept the competition circuit and conquered the skies, in the then communist dominated sport of skydiving.

For more information on the Army go to www.goarmy.com and for more information on the Golden Knights show schedule or if you want information how to become a Golden Knight go to www.armygoldenknights.com.