FORT BRAGG, N.C. –
Performing precision aerial maneuvers while falling to earth at speeds reaching 120 miles per hour, then landing dead center on target is the trademark of the United States Army Parachute Team, the "Golden Knights."
Now in their 44th year of entertaining both young and old with their aerial skills, the men and women who make up the "Golden Knights" continue to show audiences around the world why they are considered the world's best parachute team.
Stationed at the "Home of the Airborne," Fort Bragg, N.C., the 90 Soldiers who make up the "Golden Knights" come from many diverse backgrounds and have been trained in one of the approximately 200 military occupational specialties the Army offers.
These Soldiers can trace their current positions back to 1959, when Brig. Gen. Joseph Stillwell, then chief of staff of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, formed the Strategic Army Corps Parachute Team. On June 1, 1961, the Army officially recognized, redesigned and activated the team as the United States Army Parachute Team.
One year later, the Team officially adopted the nickname "Golden Knights" because of their winning record of gold medals and conquest of the skies.
Just as incredible as the demonstration teams are the two parachute competition teams: The Formation Skydiving Team and the Style and Accuracy Team. The teams tour the world competing in parachuting competitions and amazing the parachuting world with their record of 408 national champions, 65 world champions and 14 national and six world team titles in formation skydiving.
In addition to those accomplishments, they also claim the only six-time world champion parachutist in formation skydiving and the only three consecutive time national champion parachutist in style and accuracy parachuting. These impressive feats have made them not only the most-winning Department of Defense sports team, but also the most-winning parachute team in the world.
Helping support these incredible demonstrators and competitors are the team's aviation and headquarters sections. The aviation section consists of six fixed-wing aircraft and a team of highly experienced pilots and crewmembers who make sure the parachutists make it into the air safety and quickly. The headquarters section also has a skilled team of Soldiers and civilians working on the administration, budget, media relations, operations, parachute maintenance and supply concerns of the team. Before earning the chance to jump with the team, each member had to make a different kind of jump by deciding to join the Army. Each team member is a Soldier first and is trained in one of the occupations the Army offers. Some wanted to serve their country or maybe see the world, while others wanted to take advantage of the financial bonuses the Army offered to them, such as up to $50,000 for college, up to $65,000 to repay college loans or up to $12,000 for enlisting in selected military occupations.
For 44 years, the Team's superior performances, winning record and exemplary conduct have helped rekindle and sustain a feeling of pride in the hearts of many Americans. The team's faces may have changed, but every "Golden Knight's" dedication to the Army and the American public has and will continue to remain steadfast well into the 21st century.