The Pioneers of the Golden Knights

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Historical Perspective

	ARENDER, Henry L "Jim"	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick
	ARTER, Harry E	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick
One of the STRAC Sport Parachute Teams Click image to see an enlargement. Click here to visit the Team Gallery and see more images from "The Early Years"

	BOURQUIN, Gerald F "Jerry"	Original USAPT
	BROWN, George R "Ron"
	BRYDON, Loy B "Top"	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick Original USAPT
	BYARD, Danny R	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick Original USAPT

	CHARETTE, Wilfred JA "Squeak" "Wil"	Original USAPT
	D is Vacant
	EDGE, William E "Bill"	Original USAPT
Click image to see an enlargement.

	FELICIANO, Peter
	FORTENBERRY, Richard T "Dick"	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick Original USAPT
	GARVEY, James E	First Round Pick
	GRIEVES, William P "COL Bill"	Command Support
Click image to see an enlargement.

	HELMS, Jack C	First Round Pick
	HOLLIS, John "Top"	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick Original USAPT
	HUGHES, Curtis W "Kurt"	First Round Pick
	I is Vacant
	JORGENSEN, Keith C	Original USAPT

	LANIER, Robert H "Bob"	First Round Pick Air Force
	LETBETTER, Robert M "Bobby"	Original USAPT
	LEWIS, Harold R	Original USAPT
	LOVE, Raymond L "Ray"	Founding Member - STRAC SPT First Round Pick

	MARTIN, Roy D	Original USAPT
	McDONALD, Coy O	Original USAPT
	McDONNELL, Robert J "Bob"	Original USAPT
	MORGAN, Vernon	First Round Pick Air Force
	NORMAN, Joe A	Original USAPT
	O is Vacant

	PALMER, Ralph K	Original USAPT
	PEARSON, James P "Jim"	Original USAPT
	PERRY, James M "Jim"	Original USAPT
	Q is Vacant
	RUNNELS, Douglas C "Doug"

	SHEPARD, Merrill L	First Round Pick
	SOBCZAK, John W
	SMITH, Lee RK "Smitty"	Original USAPT
	SOLIS, Alfonso M "Al"	Original USAPT
	STILWELL, Joseph W "General Joe"	Architect \| Visionary \| Brass


	TURNER, Robert "Bob"	Photographer

	U-Z are vacant

The US Team in August 1960 Click image to see an enlargement. Click here to visit the Team Gallery and see more images from "The Early Years"

Formation of the STRAC SPT
During the early part of the 20th century, European competitors, in particular the USSR, dominated the field of sport parachuting. In 1958, sport parachuting clubs were sanctioned by the US Army, but were unfunded, had few resources and were loosely organized. Military personnel competed in national/international events, but as civilians, and without official approval. In the Cold War era of the 1950's, the US Army had several motives to improve its sport parachuting program, first among them, to become the international leader in the sport.
The growth of the military sport parachute clubs caught the attention of BG Joseph W Stilwell, Jr who quickly recognized that there was considerable talent in the military services. By the late 1950's he was determined to create an elite group of skydivers who could successfully compete nationally and internationally as representatives of the US Army. His ultimate goal was the formation of a permanent, separate unit of these talented jumpers who would both be both competitors and performers.
To realize his goal, he started evaluating jumpers from the many airborne units of the military services. His purpose was to identify exceptionally-talented jumpers who would be ready to compete internationally in a year or less. He needed to form a team of people with the requisite athletic, technical and/or administrative skills. A team that could operate with few resources, was innovative and driven to succeed. Success was important on several levels. First, to establish US supremacy in the sport. But also to help recruiting efforts and to develop new tactical/strategic advantages for the US. And finally, to help Gen Stilwell realize his ultimate dream, the formation of a permanent US Army parachute team.
Gen Stilwell officially founded the STRAC Sport Parachute Team (SPT) in October 1959. There were 7 founding members, but they were quickly joined by others, many of whom would become core members. In fact, a week after the founding members were identified, six more would join them for their first official appearance as a Team [at the Western Sport Parachute Championships in San Diego, CA].
By the end of 1960, with the success of the STRAC SPT both nationally and internationally, the Army was willing to affix its name to the group, a significant development. It was redesignated the "US Army" Sport Parachute Team (USA SPT). By April 1961, jumpers were in Ft Bragg, NC vying for what they hoped would be a position on a permanent team. That team was officially sanctioned in June 1961 as the US Army Parachute Team (USAPT).
To establish the genesis of the USAPT, the "Golden Knights", the pertinent dates for the operation of the STRAC SPT are October 1959 to June 1961. Gen Stilwell's observations of talented military skydivers both prior to and during that period fueled his interest and helped motivate his efforts toward establishing a permanent team for the US Army.
Pioneers Roster
The Pioneers Roster recognizes the contributions of the special individuals on the STRAC SPT toward the formation of the USAPT. They were inventive, resilient, talented, hard-working, and dedicated. Many would go on to become members of the USAPT. Some would pursue other military or civilian interests. All were selected to the STRAC SPT for their unique talents and potential. Some were more successful than others, but it can be argued that when exploring a new program, one learns as much from what fails or is challenging, as one does from what succeeds. Therefore, one can say that the development of the USAPT benefited from both the successes and challenges encountered by the STRAC SPT, and by the contributions of all its participants.
Selection Criteria
To merit inclusion on Pioneer Roster one must have documented/verified evidence of being assigned to the STRAC Sport Parachute Team \| US Army Sport Parachute Team. You can qualify for the list through one or more of the following: 1 - Documentation, written or photographic. Examples are copies of orders, official letters, news clippings, group photos, photos with the individual's uniform showing the Team patches, etc. The written documentation must mention the "STRAC Sport Parachute Team" or "US Army Sport Parachute Team" 2 - Consensus Consensus means that at least 3 certified STRAC/USA SPT members agree that the person did indeed participate on and/or contribute to the early team. This period was a dynamic time. We believe qualifying as a Pioneer is a special honor that demands clear, fair and demanding criteria with which all must comply. If your name was omitted, we welcome correcting the omission as soon as possible. If you believe you or someone else should appear on this list, please let us know, and include your documentation and/or people whom we should contact for consensus. Participating in Separate Duty (SD) for the purpose of evaluating one's parachuting skills does not constitute inclusion on the STRAC SPT. Gen Stilwell was looking for candidates for the STRAC SPT, so a great many evaluations were occurring on military bases during the period 1958-1961. While being evaluated does not automatically make one a member of the STRAC SPT, it is, nonetheless, an honor to have been selected for evaluation.
Contact Us
If you have information about any of the Pioneers, would like to recommend a candidate, have comments or questions, please contact us.		Click here to send a message to the Media Editor.
Supplemental Information
Founding Member - The Founding Members are so designated, because they appear on the earliest known records that identify the group as the STRAC Sport Parachute Team: Special Order 260, dated 10-08-59. These are the first individuals that Gen Stilwell hand picked for his team. They would remain a part of the team until the formation of the USAPT.
First Round Picks - The First Round Picks in a sport are typically the players that a coach perceives as the most talented and/or most likely to succeed. Gen Stilwell's First Round Picks were selected within a week of the formation of the STRAC SPT, and were the first STRAC SPT to participate in a national event. They appeared at the Western Sport Parachute Championships in San Diego, CA. The names are documented on Order 10-1215, dated 10-14-1959. Having been selected as a First Round Pick is particularly significant because Gen Stilwell had limited time to demonstrate the value of this experimental program. Those selected had to be exceptional athletes, jumpers and soldiers. Click the orders to see copies of the original documents.