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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - They took to the sky
together for the last time on the first day of spring. A beautiful
sun splashed sky lay ahead as the father and son ascended several
thousand feet into the air, taking in the vast beauty of the
untouched wilderness and mountainous terrain of Alaska. They could
see Mount McKinley to the north as they made their way to the
storied Geronimo Drop Zone nestled high above in the undulating
terrain of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
They pushed off
their side-seated perch on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they rode
in on, their canopies opened, and they took in for the last time
together the sweet silence of descent.
Their equipment was
top-notch. The Army's MC-6 Maneuverable Troop Parachute System with
the SF-10A main canopy allowed the pair to steer themselves onto the
tiny drop-zone.
They landed without injury, quickly recovered
their equipment, donned snowshoes, and met back up in the assembly
area.
They say timing is everything in the Army, and this
time, March 20, 2014, was the last time they would jump together as
Army paratroopers.
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Command Sgt. Maj. Bernie Knight
(left), the senior enlisted adviser for U.S. Army Alaska, enjoys a
father-son moment with his son, Sgt. Charles Knight, an infantryman
with Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division,
after jumping the MC-6, Maneuverable Troop Parachute System onto
Geronimo Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March
20, 2014. The father-son jump represented the two coming full circle
as the elder Knight jumped with his son on his first jump and the
younger Knight jumping with his father for his last jump. (U.S. Army
photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith)
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The jump marked a coming of full circle for the senior
enlisted adviser of U.S. Army Alaska, Command Sgt. Maj.
Bernie Knight, and his son, Sgt. Charles Knight, a squad
leader with Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry
Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th
Infantry Division.
Beginning their parachuting
history together, Command Sgt. Major Knight attended his
son's first jump at Fort Benning during airborne school in 2009. At the
time, Knight was the operations group command sergeant major
for the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. He
was invited down to be guest speaker at his son's basic
training and infantry graduation ceremony. From there, he
stayed to participate in his son's first jump.
Sgt.
Knight said the jump onto the Geronimo Drop Zone was
significant because it brought back some good memories.
“This kind of brings me back to when he jumped with me
on my first going back a little over five years when I
joined the Army, and him ending his career with this,” said
Knight. “It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to him,
too. I'm glad I got to do his last jump with him.”
Knight's dad gave him courage and motivation to join the
airborne ranks and jump out for the first time.
“I
was nervous; I'm not going to lie. Airborne wasn't something
I wanted to sign up for, but because he did, I felt I had
some shoes to fill. So definitely, having him there helped
me have the courage to go up in the bird and jump out.”
For the sergeant major, his 109th and final jump was
significant because of his son, but also because of the
501st.
“I got to do it with the 501st. The first
parachute infantry regiment in the Army,” said Command Sgt.
Maj. Knight. “They tested the parachute. I was a sergeant
major of that unit, my son is in that unit. I'm doing
Geronimo Drop Zone with the Geronimos. I mean, how could you
go wrong with that?”
Command Sgt. Maj. Knight has
been an influential figure in his son's life, helping guide
his way through the Army, mentoring him, and setting an
example to emulate. He said the Army and the airborne have
been a great way to bond with his son.
“It's awesome!
This is a great way to do it. Heck, I tried to talk him out
of doing this kind of stuff, because, you know, I said,
‘Hey, I did this for the family, I got it'. But, he wanted
to serve, so what better way, and he wanted to be airborne,
so I thought that was cool.”
Sgt. Knight worked as a
civilian videographer at the National Training Center, and
he was inspired by soldiers and wanted to do what they did,
so he talked to his dad about joining.
“It was during
the war, and I had just come back from a pretty serious Iraq
deployment. You know, we lost 53 soldiers in this brigade
(4-25), so I was a little bit apprehensive about what my son
was going to see,” said Knight. “I kind of tried to talk him
out of it, because I didn't want his mom mad at me forever,
and I didn't want to lose my son.”
“I was like,
‘Well, you know, you might want to get a skill that will
help you when you get out of the Army', and he was like,
‘well, it was good enough for you wasn't it?', and that's
when I said ‘OK ... alright'.”
Through his enlistment,
Knight's relationship with his dad has been enhanced.
“We were close before, but definitely, once I joined the
Army, we could bond over it. We had something to talk about.
We had something in common besides cars, Harleys and other
stuff,” said Sgt. Knight. “I definitely use him as a mentor,
and he helps me be a better soldier.
“We talk shop a
lot. Nothing bad, all good stuff, you know. I tell him my
gripes about the Army, and then he tells me, ‘That's the
Army, suck it up.' I say, ‘roger that.' He tells me to drive
on, and I drive on.”
After graduating jump school,
Sgt. Knight was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. He
deployed twice with the 82nd, and on his second deployment,
he found himself stationed in the same sector of Afghanistan
as his dad, who was at the time assigned to the 1st Stryker
Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
“So, he
goes to the 82nd, and I go to the 1-25 up north (Fort
Wainwright), and we deployed, and he was right across the
river from me,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Knight. “We deployed
to the same sector of Kandahar, southern Kandahar, one of
the worst areas, right there where Mulla Omar, who started
9-11, lived.”
After the deployment, the Knights
reunited in the U.S. when Sgt. Knight re-enlisted with
orders to Alaska.
“I love what I do. I'm glad I
joined. I'm glad I could be closer to my father. That's why
I re-enlisted to come here, so I could be near Family, and
do the Army life,” said Sgt. Knight.
According to
Sgt. Knight, he and his dad call Alaska home, even though
his dad is originally from Kansas City, Kan., and he is
originally from Orange County, Calif.
“I would say I
grew up here. My dad spent most of his career here, so I
definitely grew up in Alaska,” said Sgt. Knight.
Both
Knights plan to live in Alaska after their Army service.
“I am going to be a member of this community. I'll still
be a friend of USARAK. I'm still going to try to hang out
with them,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Knight.
Command
Sgt. Knight is wrapping up a successful 31-year, active
federal service career. He spent four years with the Marine
Corps and 27 years with the Army.
He takes with him
many memories and experiences. He said the Army is a big
family. An example of this was reinforced when he talked
about finishing up his airborne career with Command Sgt.
Maj. Frank Hacker, the senior enlisted adviser for the
Spartan Brigade.
“The Army, although people say it's
big, it's a small Army, and it's a huge family, because on
this jump right here, the sergeant major of the 4-25 was
with me when I first started jumping out of airplanes back
in 1990. We were in a LRS (long range surveillance) unit
together, and he is on this jump! That's kind of neat. So
you say it's a big Army, but it's not. It's a small Army,
but it's a big family.”
With his recent home purchase
in Chugiak, Command Sgt. Maj. Knight is beginning his
retirement plans as his son looks forward to tackling
upcoming Army challenges. He is going in front of the staff
sergeant promotion board this month and plans to attend
jumpmaster school, as well as compete for a Sergeant Audie
Murphy Club membership. Long term goals include a college
degree and a slot at Ranger School.
“I enjoy my job,
I love the Army. I love the Army life. They are good to my
family, and I appreciate what the Army has done for me and
my father,” said Sgt. Knight.
As he snapped the last
button of his last aviator's kit bag, the 52-year-old
veteran summed up his leadership, “I would tell people that
Sgt. Maj. Knight doesn't make one decision without thinking
about soldiers first.”
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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