Chairman Receives Baton from U.S. Army Golden Knights

Has Meet & Greet with Legendary WWII Tuskegee Airmen

By Felix DoBosz

HOLLYWOOD — During Fleet Week, the McDonald’s Air & Sea Show festivities took a detour from Ft. Lauderdale beach to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel. The Seminole Tribe hosted special members and retired members of our armed forces for special show events.

To get things started in the early evening of May 4, The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachuting team performed brilliantly for the assembled guests. They jumped from a twin turbo-prop C-31A Friendship plane overhead, high above the Hooter’s parking lot of the Seminole Paradise.

The Golden Knights jumped in unison with their bright yellow canopies and plumes of bright smoke trials from their hot wired jump boots. Simultaneously, the Golden Knights circled gently into their magnificent descent towards the ground zero target.

Chairman Mitchell Cypress and President Moses Osceola enjoyed watching the jump and were some of the VIP guests honored with this event.

According to Golden Knights website, “In 1959 13 men joined together to form the Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team, to compete in the then communist dominated sport of skydiving. The team performed so well that on June 1, 1961 the Army officially recognized, designated and activated the team as the U.S. Army Parachute Team. These teams tour the world competing in parachuting competitions. Their record stands at 415 national champions, 65 world champions, and 14 national and six world team titles in formation skydiving. The team claims the only six-time world champion parachutist in formation skydiving and two three-time national champions in style and accuracy parachuting. They are the most-winning Department of Defense sports team and the most-winning parachute team in the world.”

After the Knights landed they wrapped up their chutes and equipment to line-up to a military attention posture for the ceremonial Baton presentation. On behalf of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Chairman Mitchell Cypress was presented with the great honor of receiving the Wooden Baton Award from the Golden Knights as he accompanied the commanding officer inspecting the assembled members of the team.

Later that evening before the Blues Brothers concert got underway at the Hard Rock Live, The U.S. Army Golden Knights were introduced to the appreciative audience along with U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, with Chairman Mitchell Cypress starting it off to warm heartfelt applause.

The legendary Tuskegee Airmen were also honored and included in the Fleet Week event festivities.

One of their many websites, redtail.org, explains that; “The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to be trained as WWII Military pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. This was a time when being black was more of a crime then being the enemy. Never in our nations’ history has the idea of enemy lines been so blurred or has patriotism been so clearly defined. The Tuskegee Airmen challenged America’s racist attitudes with the willingness to give their lives to a country not willing to serve them. 445 fighter pilots and their crews entered combat in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. The Tuskegee Airmen were forced to operate as segregated units and not allowed to train or fight alongside their white fellow countrymen. To identify themselves they painted the tails of their aircraft red, thus becoming the ‘Red Tails.’ The Tuskegee Airmen ‘Red Tails’ carried their hopes and dreams of equality for themselves and their thirteen million African American countrymen into battle. Initially shunned, due to their color, the Red Tails superior performance rapidly became legendary and they soon became the requested white bomber pilots fighter escorts. Flying over 15,000 sorties in 1500 plus missions they compiled an outstanding combat record. As bomber escorts, the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber to enemy fighters; a record no other fighter group achieved. Sixty six gave their lives in combat and 32 were captured as prisoners of war. They were recognized by receiving over 850 medals including the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award that can be given a military unit.”

Chairman Cypress greeted a few of the Tuskegee Airmen gathered at the special private party set-up next to the outdoor patio set aside by the Tequila Ranch restaurant at the Seminole Paradise. The chairmen shook hands with the brave surviving Airmen of WWII, signed autographs and posed for photos while thanking them for their glorified service to our country.

P-51C was one of the combat airplanes used to defeat the enemy in WWII, There are only two of these planes left. The Red Tail Project is looking to raise at least $2 million dollars for the restoration of the P-51C plane, and fund a traveling museum to educate all the people in our country about the hardships overcome and the significant contributions made by these brave men known forever as the Tuskegee Airmen.