Army skydiving team suspends schedule after local man’s death

All performances by a U.S. Army skydiving team have been suspended during an investigation into the accidental death of one of its members with local ties.

Sgt. First Class Corey Hood, a 2001 Lakota West graduate, died Sunday after injuries sustained the previous day in a skydiving performance at the Chicago Air & Water Show.

Hood’s death was ruled an accident and the cause due to multiple blunt force injuries due to a skydiving mishap, according to spokesman Frank Shuftan of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

After the accident, a commander initiated a “safety stand down” to review all safety protocols and interview team members, according to Alison Bettencourt, an Army spokeswoman.

The team, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was returning to their base Monday morning.

“These are truly elite skydivers,” Bettencourt said. “They constantly practice maneuvers. These maneuvers are highly skilled.”

Bettencourt said an accident investigation is ongoing, and a team from the U.S. Army Safety Center was scheduled to be on site for the investigation.

“There’s an inherent risk in all Army operations,” Bettencourt said. “The team works really hard to mitigate risks and unfortunately sometimes accidents happen.”

Bettencourt said the accident happened around 11 a.m. central time Saturday. Initial reports indicate that Hood collided with another skydiver mid-air following a maneuver performed by the team.

“When they exited the maneuver, two military skydivers collided and Hood was knocked unconscious,” Bettencourt said. “He had an uncontrolled landing,” after his automatic reserve shoot deployed and he struck the top of a building.

Hood, 32, first started skydiving in 2010 and had logged more than 700 free fall jumps and 75 military static line jumps, according to his Golden Knights biography.

The Golden Knights — the first U.S. military parachute team in 1959 — consists of 89 soldiers and civilians divided into several sections, including demonstration teams, a tandem team and competition teams.

The last skydiving fatality for the Golden Knights was in 1994 when Staff Sgt. Jose Aguillion was killed after colliding with a teammate during training, said Donna Dixon, spokeswoman for the Golden Knights. She believed this was the fourth fatality since 1959.

Hood was a member of the black demonstration team which has 13 members.

Their mission is to “travel around the United States performing at air shows, college and professional sporting events, and other special events in support of Army Recruiting and Public Relations,” according to the Golden Knights website.

In a June 2015 interview with the Dayton Daily News, Hood shared what it's like to be a part of the Golden Knights prior to a performance at the Vectren Dayton Air Show.

“It’s definitely like a band of brothers … when we are out there doing our performances you have a lot of trust in your teammates,” Hood said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to exit the aircraft at 12,500 feet. The view and the scenery is always amazing at every location we go so it’s just a really great feeling.”

Hood said the assessment and selection process to become a Golden Knight lasts about eight weeks, with five to 10 jumps per day, six days a week. He said the most challenging part is being on the road 250 to 270 days out of the year.

Hood, who enlisted in the Army just out of high school, had been a member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights since 2014.

“He’s a national hero,” said Scott Fetzer, a Lakota West teacher and Hood’s wrestling coach in high school. “He touched and affected a lot of people in this country. I’m honored to have known him.”

During his 14-year tenure in the Army, Hood served as a Forward Observer, Team Chief, Platoon Sergeant and an Airborne Instructor. He completed five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and received many accolades and medals.

“Corey was a small kid in size but he had that little chip on his shoulder which is what I look for as a coach,” Fetzer said. “He was tough mentally and physically.”

Fetzer said Hood possessed all the positive attributes instilled in student-athletes, including mental toughness, “a little bit of grit,” and a strong will and desire, all which served him well in the Army.

During his service to the Army, Hood was awarded two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Combat Action Badge.

Hood was the subject of November 2014 alumni article on the Lakota West Firebirds website in honor of Veterans Day. At the time, he told Jason Cronk, sports information director, that he would like to parachute into a Lakota West football game someday.

Gary Elgin Card, principal at Lakota West High School, said there are still five or six teachers and staff at Lakota West from the time Hood was in school. They remembered him as a “good, hard-working, friendly kid,” Card said. Hood was also on the football team in high school.

Hood is survived by his wife, Lyndsay Hood. No funeral arrangements had been made as of Monday.

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