Weather almost axes second Golden Knights show

The U.S. Army's demonstration parachute team wowed people during the first part of the air show Friday, despite weather that kept the plane from rising above 3,000 feet.

But at 4 p.m., the weather threatened to cancel the flights. Sgt. Eric Holman, 35, looked glum after hearing the cloud cover would require a modified program, if there was one at all. But in less than an hour, he was beaming, aboard the plane and suiting up to jump.

Soldiers shouted to be heard above the engine noise or used hand signals to communicate from the back to the front of the C-31 Troopship.

Sgt. Pete White, an Army National Guard soldier, enlisted in 1992. While on duty overseas, he makes ground patrols. He wears a silver bracelet on his left wrist. It bears the name of Pedro A. Munoz, a fellow Golden Knight who died Jan. 2, 2005, after being injured while patrolling in Shindand, Afghanistan. White has been to Shindand and wants to go back.

White said making the decision to go to overseas is similar to the decision to step from the plane into thin air. It involves being willing to trust teammates and remain committed to the mission at hand.

Typically the Knights make 600 jumps each year. This year, White said, will end with fewer jumps.

"It's been a terrible year, weatherwise," White said.

He exited the plane with a whoosh, a sound louder yet more gentle than the plane's engines.

Master Sgt. Khalida Hendricks, an intelligence specialist, is an 11-year Army veteran and a Golden Knight since 2006. She's served in Kosovo, Iraq and Germany.

She said each Knight has a personal routine in addition to the required safety checks as they prepare to jump.

"We each have our little individual handshakes," she said. Some tap fists, cross forearms or embellish with other motions.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

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