SYIB II Project

At the end of 2024, or by early 2025, I intend to publish a companion text to accompany the original See You in the Black book, titled, See You in the Black, The United States Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, - Legacy - A Condensed History, 1959 to 2024.

This new book will cover, month-by-month, year-by-year, the entire 65 year history of the U.S.A.P.T. via selected, condensed highlights of significant team actions, incidents, events and competition participation/results and will, where information is available, include the following,

· Changes of Command during those years, i.e., Commanding Officers, Execs, Sergeant Majors, First Sergeants, etc.

· Organizational structure developments (additions/changes/upgrades of sections and personnel)

· Changes/modifications of mission requirements and goals

· Changes of equipment and demonstration routines

· Research and Development activity

· Meet results for each year

· Major contributions to the sport of parachuting

· Members of the U.S. Teams fielded by the U.S.A.P.T. each year

· International performances and good will missions

· Record attempts/results

· Select team member highlights

· New GK’s added from try-outs for each year

· An updated and corrected team roster

Each year of the 65 year period will constitute an individual chapter in the book. Each chapter will consist of abbreviated historical content taken from available research resources, and will include select supporting photographs.

While much of the team’s history can be found within published texts such as newspapers and magazines along with certain internet resources, available information about the team’s past is often scattered, and sometimes difficult to access. One of the primary purposes of this new book will be to consolidate and organize the team’s history within a single resource and to point the reader to more detailed information where available.

Also included will be a short bio and photo (where available) of those team members who have passed on. Those bios wilI be placed at the end of the chapter representing the last year the team member served. I am currently developing a roster of those members and you may review that list below. Please notify me of changes or additions that need to be made.

As I complete the preparation and writing of each year, I will post the finished chapter here, on my website, in a downloadable .pdf form for your review. This will give you the opportunity to participate in the book’s development. If you see errors, or things that you believe should be included, you may contact me using the communication form below. You may attach whatever you desire. That would include copies of press clippings, magazine articles, photos, etc. that you may wish to share. (But, please, please, caption every photo and the participants within it to the best of your ability.) If you wish to join me in this effort, please indicate your year(s) of team service or your connection with the team when you contact me.

I will notify everyone when each finished year is published on my website. I will do that via Facebook notices and emails sent to subscribers on my mailing list. You may subscribe to my mailing list below. I encourage you to subscribe as Facebook is an unreliable medium.

At the conclusion of the project, I will publish the complete book with all 65 chapters in a hardbound, print version available to team members, past and present, families and friends, at cost, through my website. It will also be available to the public on Amazon at normal retail rates.

Why am I pursing this project? When I finished See You in the Black this year, I felt that I had only begun to tell the team’s story. That’s reason number one. Number two is because so much of the team’s history is fragmented across many sources, and I feel that  it is important to have a single reference that pulls as much as possible of the team history together in such a way that it is updateable, easily used, and that it compliments the first SYIB text.

If you are a team member, past or present, or if you have been closely associated with the team as family,  friend, or fellow skydiver, I hope that you will join with me as I work to complete this important project. And if you do, please know that your involvement will be genuinely appreciated.

See You in the Black!

Mike Marcon       

                                                    The Current Master Roster as of September 2023

                                                         (Incomplete. Continuosly Updating.)

                  Please notify me if someone is missing or if any information shown is incorrect.

Name & Year(s) of Team Service                                     Date of Passing

Aguillon,   Jose 1992-1994

Albritton,   Paul 1973                                                            March 8, 1973

Anderson,   James 1965-1966

Arender,   Henry L. 1959-1960                                           November 14,   2012

Arrellano,   Arnold 1968                                                      June 1968

Arter, Harry   1959-1960                                                      November 30, 2022

Bahrytsevich,   Aliaksandr 2018                                            2018

Barbarick,   Joseph 1968-1973                                        March 8, 1973

Bayer,   William 1974-1976

Bourquin,   Gerald 1960-1965

Brown, George R. 1959-1960                                          KIA March 28, 1968

Brown,   William 1989-1992

Brydon, Loy   1959-1965 & 1969-1970

Buckley, Michael  1970-1973                                          March 8, 1973

Bullington,   Bartley 1966-1973                                     March 8, 1973

Byard, Danny   1959-1961 & 1961-1963

Charette,   Wilfred 1959-1962

Collingwood,   Charles 1970-1978                               June 29, 2018

Daniel,   James (Years Served Unknown)                KIA June 19, 1969

Davis, Cecil   1972-1973                                                  March 8, 1973

Del Conte,   Richard 1971-1973                                   March 8, 1973

DeLuca,   Edward 1962-1966                                        KIA June 26, 1971

Duffy, Ray   1961-1967 & 1968-1971

Edge,   William 1960-1964

Fortenberry,   Richard 1959-1964

Gagne,   Marshall 1968-1969

Gardner,   Alan 1964-1965                                           KIA June 27, 1970

Gerber, Andy   1978-1990

Grant-Campos,   Ricardo 1982                                 June 1982

Green, Gary   1983-1986                                              August 1986

Griffith,   Thomas 1971

Hollis, John   1959-1963

Holman, Eric   2005                                                       KIA OEF 2012

Hood, Corey   2014-2015                                              2015

Horn, Paul   1978-1980

Howard,   Michael 1963-1970

Jackson,   Paul 1985-1987                                           1987

Johnson,   Thomas 1972-1980                                  1980

Jorgensen,   Keith 1960-1961

Kettenhofen,   Michael 2020-2023                       March 13, 2023                                                

Kinser,   Raymond 1973                                           March 8, 1973

Kirk,   Preston 1983-1984                                            1984

Knight, Kirk   1989-1991

Kryske, Leo   1964-1967                                           KIA 1968

Letbetter,   Bobby 1960-1966                                KIA  November 21, 1966

Lewis,   Harold 1959-1964

Martin, Roy   1960-1965

McDonald,   Coy 1960-1966 & 1972-1975

McDonnell,   Robert 1959-1

Morgan, Dick   1966-1968

Munoz. Pedro   1997-1999                                    KIA OEF 2995

Muzquiz,   Fernando 1983, 1986, 1989

Norman, Joe   1960-1966

Palmer,   Ralph 1959-1963

Parrish, Ed   1971-1973                                                March 8, 1973

Pawlak, Richard                                                            KIA March 3, 1970

Rice, James   1971-1973                                             March 8, 1970

Pearson,   James 1959-1963

Pease,   Rodney 1973                                                  March 8, 1973

Pelter, Joe   1966-1973                                               March 8, 1973

Perry, James   1959-1962

Rice, James   1971-1973                                            March 8, 1973

Solis,   Alfonso 1960-1967

Stanton,   Larry 1974-1977                                     July 23,   2023

Stilwell,   Joseph 1959-1963                                          1963

Thacker,   Gene Paul 1962-1967

Timmons,   Lowell 2002

Turner,   Robert 1960-1961                                  September 21,   1961

 Vander Weg,   Phillip 1961-1962                       KIA November 27, 1965

Wasley, Mike   1973                                                 March 8, 1973

Welch,   Francis 1973                                              March 8, 1973 

Williford, Sherman   1961-1964

Wolfe, Leon   1971-1973                                        February 1973

Wolfe,   Robert 1972-1973                                    March 8, 1973

Wrenn, Bobby   1966-1969 & 1977-1981

Ziegler, Tim   1979-1980                                       January 21, 1980