On Friday, March 7, 2014, City of Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter, along with members of the Homestead City council, officially proclaimed the day in honor of the U.S. Army parachute team known as the Golden Knights. Vice-Mayor Stephen Shelley, Councilwoman Patricia Fairclough and Councilman Jon Burgess were among the notable attendees gathered at the special Military Affairs Committee “Meet & Greet” event that took place at the Homestead Reserve Air Force Base.
The honored guests, the Golden Knights, are a part of a long and proud tradition that dates back to 1961. The team’s primary mission is to serve in a public relations capacity by creating a dialogue between men and women in uniform and their civilian counterparts. This is accomplished primarily by performing feats of daring at air shows and in competitions. The Golden Knights are a highly decorated unit winning over 460 national championships, more than 100 world championships, 32 national titles, 10 world team titles and they have broken approximately 350 world records.
“It’s an honor to be in this room with these courageous men and women here today,” said Mayor Porter about the Golden Knights. “The kind of expertise that is required of them, to say nothing of the years of dedication to reach this level, is truly remarkable. I’m proud that they call Homestead their winter home and I’m doubly proud to proclaim today ‘Golden Knights Day’ in their honor.”
