USSOCOM PARACHUTE TEAM

The SOCOM Parachute Team is composed of volunteers from the Army, Navy,

Air Force, Marines and U.S. Marines and U.S. government civilians assigned to the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).  These highly qualified members are selected for the team after a rigorous training program.  Participations with the SOCOM Parachute Team is in addition to their regular military duties, with training conducted during off duty time.

Formed in 1991, the SOCOM Parachute Team represents the most elite of the United States armed services, its Special Operations Forces (SOF).  Team members are highly skilled and trained in a variety of combatant and humanitarian missions.  One of the many techniques used for clandestine insertion into denied areas of interest is the dangerous and difficult military freefall (MFF) operation.

The SOCOM Parachute Team modifies the military aspects of MFF operations and provides graphic displays of intricate maneuvers and precision canopy control techniques.  Jumps by the team may include carrying a flag or passing a baton while descending in freefall, all while wearing burning smoke canisters attached to their boots to allow viewers to seethem better.

The team normally jumps from an altitude of 12,500 feet above ground level, freefalling approximately 2 miles, reaching speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour.  This freefall can last up to one minute.  During their freefall, the members of the team maneuver their bodies, like the flight surfaces of an aircraft, to form numerous aerial designs and formations in the sky.  When the jumpers approach an altitude of 4,000 feet, they will break their formation and glide in different directions.  As each team member reaches an altitude of 2,500 feet, they will begin deploying their parachutes.  Once open, the members steer their parachutes and perform what is called �stacking.�  Stacking enables the jumpers to form up in the air as a group and land one behind the other, with precision accuracy.

The Special Operations Command is one of nine unified commands in the U.S. military�s combatant command structure.  The bulk of the command�s 47,000 people are made up of Army Rangers and Special Forces (Green Berets); Navy Sea/Air/Land (SEAL) teams; Air Force combat controllers and commando pilots; and Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations forces.

The SOCOM Parachute Team has appeared at numerous military and civilian airshow, sporting events at all levels (professional, college, high school) and various patriotic, civic and school celebrations throughout the United States.  Members of the SOCOM Parachute Team have established themselves as showmen, traveling ambassadors, and SOF recruiters for the Department of Defense.

All are proudly serving as �Quiet Professionals� of the United States Special Operations Command.