Parachute team proud to represent military

They jump for the adrenaline rush. But they also jump for the spectators.

Members of the Green Beret Parachute Team who performed at the Good Ol' Days festival over the weekend sat down with The Fort Scott Tribune on Sunday to discuss their role, both as representatives of the U.S. military and as performers.

Brenda Gattler, Robert Scott, Jim Gees, Mike Stevenson and Bill Gattler performed on Friday and Saturday at the annual event.

Brenda said she loves the interaction with the crowd. Of course, she loves the jump too.

"I'll be standing there after the jump, having just touched down with my gear still on and the parachute sitting beside me, and people will walk by and look at me and say 'you didn't jump."

Scott said there is a certain excitement about jumping. It's the adrenaline rush. It's the freedom of free falling 120 miles per hour toward an awestruck crowd. It's the formations and tricks they do while falling. It's the bond formed between skydivers.

Every jump is different. If a jumper starts thinking they're the same, "That's when you get hurt," Scott said.

The team take pride in the fact that its members are comprised of different branches of the U.S. military. It's made up of active duty soldiers, retirees and dependents. Some of the performers are civilian who have never served in the military.

There are about 35 members of team, which performs at shows and festivals nationwide. No one team travels with each other to each show.

The group jumped from 4,500 feet, well below the normal range for skydivers.

"We come down lower so the audience can see us exit the aircraft," Scott said. "It just puts a whole new perspective on what we're doing."

They normally jump from an airplane, but this weekend they used a Blackhawk helicopter furnished by the Springfield, Mo., National Guard unit.

They perform at air shows, sporting events, and holiday events.The biggest show Bill has performed at was in front of 1.5 million people at a Fourth of July event at Coney Island, N.Y., in the 1980s. Also, a memorable sporting event for Gattler was jumping down onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the inaugural Brickyard 400 NASCAR race in 1994.

Jamie Lynn said he likes performing for smaller crowds, like the one at Good Ol' Days. But even more, he likes jumping with a giant American flag attached to him during the flight. The flag is 33 feet wide by 65 feet long.

"It's my way of saying thanks to all the veterans and soldiers who have fought for my freedom and who continue to keep me free today," Lynn said of flying with the flag.

The smaller crowds tend to be more personal and the interaction, which the team members love the most, makes for a better experience.

"If I had my choice to jump into New York City or here, I'd jump here, definitely," Lynn said. "The appreciation they show makes us feel good."

Scott added, "When they're clapping and applauding, it makes us believe we've done something good for these people."

Bill Gattler, the team leader, has extensive training in the military. He was part of the U.S. Army's elite Golden Knights parachute team in the 1970s.

The team jumped three times during the Good Ol' Days festival. They try to limit jumps per day to four. A study showed that one jump is equivalent to eight hours of physical labor.

Bill's favorite aspect of jumping is not the rush of skydiving. It's showing the crowd what the army has to offer, especially for kids who may be inspired enough by the jumpers to enlist in the military.

"We've had kids come up to us and say they want to be jumpers like us," Bill said. "That's what makes what we do special."