3 Army Golden Knights Seriously Injured Near Miami

HOMESTEAD, FL -- Two members of the U.S. Army's elite parachute team, the Golden Knights, were in critical condition Tuesday while a third was in serious condition following undisclosed injuries early Tuesday morning during an overnight training operation near Miami.

The injured soldiers were all taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. The incident happened around 4 a.m. at Homestead Air Reserve Base, according to Kelli Bland of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

"The incident is under investigation at this time," said Bland. The Golden Knights are based out of North Carolina, but they conduct winter training at Homestead Air Reserve Base between mid January to mid March in order to avoid the winter weather.

The Golden Knights integrate new team members and prepare for the upcoming season of demonstrations and competitions while training in Florida.

Every year the Golden Knights crisscross the United States in four squads that wow crowds from spring through fall with precision maneuvers. Their last performance of the year is always at the annual Army Navy football classic in December.

Candidates for the Golden Knights must have completed a minimum of 100 parachute jumps prior to trying out for the team.

When they are not performing in shows, the elite paratroopers are usually practicing their routines. On a typical day, Golden Knight team members practice about 10 jumps. Team members also pack their own parachutes.

"We have different maneuvers. On days like this when we don't get the altitude we can do low shows. We call it the stack out, which means everybody jumps in an interval," one team member told Patch during a visit on a rainy afternoon ahead of Memorial Day. "Usually we have a two-second separation."

Team members generally try to open their chutes when they hit 2,000 to 2,500 feet above ground.

"When we do a full show, we have four different maneuvers and we can go up to 12,500 feet," the team member told Patch at the annual Miami Beach Air & Sea Show sponsored by Hyundai.

A full show usually includes a baton pass between two jumpers.

"They separate a little bit and then they start flying together. Then they exchange the baton and they start spiraling down," the team member explained.

One routine also involves a team member intentionally cutting away their main parachute to demonstrate an emergency recovery.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano