News

Actions

KXXV's Brooke Bednarz tandem jumps with the U.S. Army Golden Knights

Posted at 6:12 PM, May 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-03 15:20:11-04

The Army's premier parachute team was in Central Texas this week.

Brooke Bednarz got to tandem jump with them Wednesday. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she will never forget.

"The tandem team for the Golden Knights, we get requested by recruiting brigades and recruiting battalions across the country to help them support their mission," SFC Joe Jones, a Golden Knight tandem instructor, said.  

Less than 50 percent of soldiers who try out for the Golden Knights are chosen to join the prestigious group. 

"I've been in the Army 24 years, I started skydiving about 20 years ago and have about 9,000 jumps, and about 4,000 of those are tandem jumps, so I've thrown over 4,000 people out of a plane," SFC Jones added. 

SFC Jones tandem jumped with KXXV's Brooke Bednarz at 13,500 feet in the sky. They fell back to the ground at 120 miles per hour during free fall. 

"We left the airplane, and it was a smooth exit. It was a fun free fall. I think we got right up to about 120 miles per hour... and we opened the parachute at 5,000 feet.. it was a beautiful view up there. The flat land of Texas, you could see forever," SFC Jones said. 

Some big names have jumped with the Golden Knights over the years including former President George H W Bush, Tiger Woods, Chuck Norris and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

(Source: U.S. Army Golden Knights) 

Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.