Free Republic

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated the grand reopening of his presidential museum on Saturday with a surprise skydive. It was the former president's sixth skydive and his first since 2004, when he jumped to celebrate his 80th birthday. On Saturday, Bush was strapped to an expert from the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, as he was three years ago. Bush, now 83, had hip replacement surgery in January. He said at the time he planned to skydive in 2009 for his 85th birthday. -snip-

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 7, 2006 – Hitting the mark as they always do, members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team jumped into the middle of the 2006 McDonald's Air and Sea Show here yesterday. Preparations for a jump into the 2006 McDonald's Air and Sea Show at Fort Lauderdale Beach continue as the Army's Golden Knights parachute team waits to reach the jump zone. Sgt. 1st Class Paul Sach, left, the Black Demonstration Team leader, prepares the streamers that will help determine wind direction. Cpl. Joshua Coleman, center, puts his gloves on while Sgt. Hector Ceja,...

ARLINGTON, Va., April 14, 2006 – Six Medal of Honor recipients and the Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, were among those gathered at Arlington National Cemetery here yesterday to pay their last respects to retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. "Mike" Novosel, a Medal of Honor recipient and former Golden Knight. Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) carry Medal of Honor recipient retired Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel Sr. at Arlington National Cemetery April 13. Novosel, 83, was laid to rest after he succumbed to a long battle with cancer. A former pilot...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) – Miss USA Chelsea Cooley soared through the sky at an altitude of 13,000 feet during a tandem skydive with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, March 14. The tandem jump was coordinated in conjunction with her USO visit to Fort Bragg, N.C. Millions of people in more than 90 countries watched as Cooley was crowned Miss USA April 11, 2005. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Cooley has spent the past year as Miss USA, championing the causes of breast and ovarian cancer education and research. Cooley has also become a...

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (Army News Service, Nov. 9, 2005) – An initiative to promote understanding of the U.S. military matched up the Army’s top parachutists with some of Florida’s most influential citizens, during a tandem jump clinic in central Florida last week. Twenty community leaders, educators, and media personalities attended the two-day event northeast of Tampa, where they were given the opportunity to tandem skydive with the U.S. Army’s elite Golden Knights parachute team. Following a morning training class and meeting with the Golden Knights, the civilians were taken up in the Golden Knight’s signature UV-21 Twin Otter, paired up with...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Planning for the upcoming open house on Oct. 22 and 23 is hitting a fever pitch as base officials finalize one of the most diverse air shows to hit the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles area in years. This year there will be just under seven hours of continuous flying featuring nearly 34 separate flight demonstrations; more than triple those of most shows common to southern California. Some highlights include a special performance by aviation legend Chuck Yeager flying a P-51 Mustang, the same type of aircraft Yeager flew when he became an ace in...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 20, 2005) – As a prelude to this weekend’s Armed Forces Day events, the U.S. Army Parachute Team, “Golden Knights,” jumped in on Walter Reed Army Medical Center May 19. Patients, staff and neighbors cheered on the Golden Knights’ Black Team, who do their best work at 12,500 feet above the earth’s surface, racing to the ground at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. About 200 people were at the noon performance. The Golden Knights are in Washington this weekend for the Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base where they...

<p>The collision between a military and a civilian plane near Tucson on Friday that killed an Army pilot prompted four competitive British skydivers in the civilian plane to leap for their lives, officials said Saturday.</p> <p>"Luckily, the (civilian) passengers were experienced jumpers, and luckily the pilot did a really good job of keeping the plane steady so the passengers could jump," said Tony Frost, owner of the Marana Skydive Center and the Cessna 182 involved in the crash.</p>