MENU
category: Campus News

President O’Brien to jump with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights

Carson-Newman University President J. Randall O’Brien

(June 3, 2014)– Carson-Newman University President Randall O’Brien has been invited to parachute with the U.S. Army Golden Knights on Friday, June 13. The jump will take place at Fort Knox in Kentucky.

The Carson-Newman president will jump with representatives from several other institutions including Vanderbilt University, Middle Tennessee State University, Indiana University and Ohio University.

Scott Bryant, who serves as Carson-Newman’s ROTC recruiting operations officer, says such a jump with the Golden Knights is a unique opportunity.

“It’s not something you can pay to do,” says Bryant, who will be escorting O’Brien to Fort Knox from Jefferson City. “This is the Army’s elite jump team, so this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

O’Brien is a decorated Vietnam veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Division. He received, among other decorations, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the United States Air Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and the Bronze Star.

Last year the Carson-Newman president jumped with Skydive East Tennessee in support of Carson-Newman athletics and C-N’s soccer program. O’Brien issued a challenge prior to the University’s first 2013 home soccer game. Aimed at promoting fan support among the community and some 2,000 Carson-Newman students, the University president committed to skydiving if 1,000 fans attended the Sept. 14 opening game.

The US Army Golden Knights is the U.S. Army’s official parachute team. It consists of demonstration and competition parachutist teams, drawn from U.S. Army paratroopers who have demonstrated excellence in their parachuting skills.

Previous Post

Carson-Newman's nursing program shines in reaccreditation process

Next Post

ROTC Eagle Battalion commissions officers

Related Posts

  • Campus News

    Samaritan House Family Ministries named Non-Profit of the Year

    Samaritan House Family Ministries was selected as the Non-Profit of the Year for Jefferson County. The ministry is a component of Carson-Newman University’s Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies (AMOS). The […]

  • Campus News

    Carson-Newman takes top honors in national marketing and advertising awards

    Carson-Newman University’s Marketing and Communications Office was among the top winners in multiple categories in the 2022 Collegiate Advertising Awards. The Collegiate Advertising Awards is a national program recognizing higher […]

  • Campus News

    Carson-Newman students spend Spring Break helping others, sharing the gospel

    “God is at work.” That was the consensus following Carson-Newman students’ return to campus after serving on GenSend mission trips. Thirty-six students along with members of the C-N community forwent […]