Best’s 12,500-foot Jump Honors UCM’s Relationship with Military

A strong supporter of the United States military, University of Central Missouri President Roger Best got a glimpse of what it’s like to be among an elite group of men and women in service after accepting an invitation to join the Golden Knights on a tandem parachute jump.



Best and his wife, Robin, traveled to Butler Airport, Oct. 6, where they met with members of the Army’s premier parachute team, a group that has traveled and performed in exhibitions all across the globe for approximately 60 years. The opportunity was made possible by UCM’s Army ROTC cadre through the unit’s cadet command.



Best was one of a number of area educators and community leaders who were invited to participate in the Golden Knights Tandem Team program, which took place in cooperation with Skydive Kansas City. He was the only university president to join the tandem team on the near perfect fall morning.



“Our role and mission with the tandem team is really to connect the American public and the American Army with a firsthand experience,” said Sergeant First Class (SFC) Richard L. Sloan, a Golden Knights paratrooper.



In this manner, Sloan said the Golden Knights hope to introduce private citizens to what “it’s like, just for a few minutes, to be a U.S. Army soldier facing fear, adversity and danger all the while having the trust and confidence of that soldier who is on our back.”