WEST POINT
PARACHUTE TEAM
B
LACK KNIGHTS
ULLETIN
V O L U M E
1 ,
I S S U E
3
N O V E M B E R
2 0 1 3
Remembering CPT Brad Nicka
SECTIONS:
2-5 — Day by Day
6 — Grad Gab
7— Black Knight Bios
By CPT Matt Heisey (USMAPT ’05)
8— Come One, Come All
9— Letter from the Editor
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Jumping With the
Stars
2
Army-Air Force
3
Our Very Own
Rotary Scholar
4
Almost Nationals
Time
5
Last Michie Demo
of the Season
6
Meet Our Cows
7
Calendar
8
Brad Nicka ('06) died on September 14th
due to complications from a brain tumor. Brad was a
great friend and teammate, a gifted leader, and a wonderful person. He came to the Parachute Team by
way of the Rugby Team, and truly fell in love with the
sport. While on the Team, he racked up medals in
Accuracy and in his favorite event, 4-Way RW. Brad
had his own rig and continued jumping after USMA,
whether it was just him and his GoPro at the local DZ
or traveling to Black & Gold to jump with former
teammates. He shared his love of the sport with his
amazing family, who were a fixture at Lake Frederick
during his cadet days, where they often fed the whole
Team. His Dad, Peter, is now a licensed skydiver.
Brad branched Aviation and became qualified in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. His first assignment was at Fort Bragg with the 1-17th CAV. He
deployed to Afghanistan as a Platoon Leader with
Task Force Saber and achieved Pilot in Command
status, flying hundreds of scout missions in support of
ground troops. After attending the MICCC and a stint
as a MI BOLC Instructor, Brad took command of a
QRC in 2-13 Aviation Regiment at Fort Huachuca.
He once again deployed as a combat leader to Afghanistan and recently returned from this latest deployment at the end of August. Brad was beloved by
the Soldiers in his Company, who told stories of their
Commander who led by a quiet example and always
with an encouraging smile.
Family and Faith meant everything to Brad.
He was exceptionally close to his parents and his two
younger sisters. Brad became engaged to his high
school sweetheart, Anna, not long after graduation
and they married in December of 2007. They were
always told that they were not able to have children;
however, Addison Leigh Nicka, their miracle baby,
was born May of this year. Brad was able to spend a
few precious weeks with his little girl before he
passed away and they were the happiest of his life.
Brad accomplished and contributed more in
his short time on Earth than many will ever aspire to.
He lived life to its fullest and died a Hero surrounded
by his family and his Soldiers, wearing a bracelet on
his wrist containing the West Point Parachute Team
crest and names of his Heroes: Ryan Dennison, Phil
Neel, Nick Dewhirst.
If you would like information on how to help CPT
Nicka’s family, please contact CPT Matt Heisey at
[email protected].
PAGE
2
DAY
BY
DAY
CURRENT
EVENTS OF
THE TEAM
BG Clarke and Coach
Falzone
BG Clark Practicing Exit
WPPT with BG Clark
after 1st jump onto plain
LTG Caslen and Coach
Falzone preparing for
tandem
BLACK
Jumping With the Stars
By CDT Jordan Komm ‘16
This semester for the team has been one
shown nothing but successful Black Knight fashfull of exciting new happenings, one of which is
ion.
jumping with the West Point leadership onto the
After BG Clarke’s jump another West
Parade Field. Brigadier General Richard Clarke
Point leader wanted his share of the fun. This parhas HALO experience and was the first to show
ticular leader of the academy was the Superinteninterest in skydiving with us on the Plain. Coach
dent himself, Lieutenant General Robert Caslen Jr.
Tom Falzone was eager to get him into the sky! He Once again, Coach Falzone headed up to the Suspent valuable one on one time with BG Clarke in
perintendent’s office to go over what would be
his office rehearsing practice pulls. On a clear day, required of him to do a tandem jump.
BG Clarke came out to the parade field in some
On the day of LTG Caslen’s jump the
comfortable clothes. Our team had a jump suit em- weather was clear but the temperature was exbroidered with his name
tremely low. The low
awaiting his arrival.
temperatures did not
After putting on the
keep LTG Caslen
Double Zip, BG Clarke
away as he was deterlooked like a typical
mined to get in a tanBlack Knight parachutdem jump. Coach Falist. Blending in with the
zone was prepped and
environment, however,
ready for when LTG
did not stop him from
Caslen showed up with
receiving special attena few members of his
tion from the team. The
staff who were also
team as a whole was
eager to watch the
extremely honored to
skydive. Coach Falhave him out at practice
zone gave LTG Caslen
and we could not wait to LTG Caslen enjoying tandem ride with Coach Falzone a black double zip
see him get his first jump
jump suit and got him
on the Plain.
into a tandem harness. After gearing up LTG
As the Helicopter was landing, Coach
Caslen and Coach Falzone were ready for the jump
Falzone was conducting pin check on BG Clarke.
and the team was excited to watch.
Coach Falzone escorted BG Clarke to the helicopOnce the helicopter’s skids were on the
ter and our very own SFC Diaz was one step beground everyone was ready for the tandem duo to
hind rigged up with a video camera to document
load up. We all watched as our Superintendent
the jump. Once in the air, the helicopter climbed in climbed into his own helicopter but he would leave
altitude until finally on jump run. The team was
it in a fashion he had never done before. The helianxiously waiting below to see the jumpers leave
copter climbed up to altitudes safe for a tandem
the helicopter. We could see them exit and everyjump and out they went! From the ground we could
thing was going as planned! When Coach Falzone
all see the tandem drone stabilizing them and SFC
landed, he quickly got a radio that would help him
Diaz was flying around them getting all of the footcommunicate with BG Clarke. I remember hearing age on film. The whole parachute team watched as
Coach Falzone tell him, “Sir at about 1000ft I want the other officers on the jump came in for their
you to be over your house, that is where you will
landings. All of us paid close attention as LTG
start your pattern.” We all watched with anticipaCaslen and Coach Falzone came in on final. Coach
tion as BG Clarke navigated the parachute with
Falzone was coming quick and with a little swoop
ease. Sticking to his pattern BG Clarke headed
landing the two landed safely on the ground. Our
towards and his house and with a fashionable flare
team was ecstatic! LTG Caslen rejoiced that he was
he stood up the landing. Coach Falzone fell to the
back on the ground and expressed how doing 360
ground in pure excitement as the team dog-pilled
degree turns under canopy really made the ride
on him in celebration of the successful jump.
worth it all. Cold as ever, the team and LTG Caslen
Shortly afterwards, we all congratulated BG Clarke were all wearing big smiles. It was another sucand took a team picture with him.
cessful day for the Team and the West Point LeadSince BG Clarke’s first jump with the
ership.
team he has returned several times to jump and
KNIGHTS
BULLETIN
Army-Air Force
PAGE
By CDT Phillip DeRosa ‘14
On October 31, 2013, nine firsties
from the West Point Parachute Team traveled to The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado to conduct joint jump operations with the Wings of Blue, the
USAFA parachute team.
The Wings of Blue is compromised
of about fifty Air Force cadets and has a
phenomenal jump facility complete with a
large hanger, a larger drop zone and two
private twin otter aircraft. Members of the
Black Knights were able to take complete
advantage of these resources and were invited to jump with the Wings of Blue on
both November 1st and November 2nd.
When asked about the opportunity, CDT
Philip De Rosa mentioned that “it is an
awesome privilege to be invited out to
Colorado to jump. Not only do the Wings
of Blue have a beautiful facility, but they
also have an organization filled with
friendly and knowledgeable team members
and coaches.”
The joint parachute operations
began with an early morning safety brief
and drop zone familiarization for the West
Point cadets. Because of the mountainous
terrain in Colorado, Air Force’s drop zone
sits at 6,500 feet above sea level. Jumping
at this altitude was a new experience for
the West Point cadets who are used to
jumping at around sea level. The cadets
adapted quickly though and were soon
masters at hooking up the oxygen systems
while on their way up to altitude. The
Black Knight’s Head Coach, Tom Falzone,
was also able to do a few AFF jumps with
new member s of the Wings of Blue. After
a good day of jumping on Friday November 1st, both teams came out again on the
2nd. During the second day of training, the
teams trained in combined 4-way teams.
This training event was a great
success on many levels. First, the West
Point Parachute Team was able to make
quite a few high quality training jumps
Black Knights and Wings of Blue combined four-way teams
BLACK
KNIGHTS
BULLETIN
3
with a group of very skilled and professional skydivers. The trip also improved
relations between the two academies’ jump
teams and set the bar for trips to come. Finally, the trip allowed for members of the
West Point Parachute Team to meet and
become friendly with other skilled indi-
viduals in the skydiving community. The
West Point Parachute Team greatly appreciates the hospitality that was shown
by the Wings of Blue and their coaching
staff and hopes to continue to build on the
great relationships that were forged during this weekend.
Black Knights and Wings of Blue after two great days of jumping
Our Very Own Rotary Scholar
By CDT Mitxel Totorica ‘15
CDT Robert Fetters, class of 2014, won the Rotary Scholarship this year over a large pool comprised of any college
graduate within the state of Georgia. He was one of 5 finalists, three of which were also from West Point. Rob stood
out because he is the class president, a double major, a
member of the model Arab league, PAO/historian for the
team, and involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has also
completed a military exchange with Kazakhstan, worked at
an orphanage for a month in Nepal, worked at the Pentagon
for a month, completed semester abroad to Ukraine, and
was even nominated for the Soldier’s Medal. Following
graduation, he will attend King College of London to study
Peace and Security at the War Studies Department with all
expenses covered. He hopes his studies will further his understanding of post conflict regions to help with his future
as an infantry officer. He hopes to use this education to understand the world around him and be an ambassador to
other cultures for the Army or some other branch of the
government. This scholarship is a testament to the caliber
of teammate and person Rob is. All of us are incredibly
proud of Rob for his success.
BLACK
KNIGHTS
BULLETIN
PAGE
4
PAGE
5
Last Michie Demo of the Season
On November 7th the Black Knight Parachute Team jumped into Michie Stadium, supporting Army Football as they
prepared
to take on
Western
Kentucky.
This demonstration
was the
4th and
final PreGame
Demonstration
the team
performed this year in support of Army
Football. Clay Sohn, a senior on the
team, led in the stack while jumping in
the game ball. Following Sohn in the
Stack were fellow senior Cadets Emily
By CDT Chris Smith ‘14
Carl and Philip DeRosa. Combined, the
three jumpers hold over a thousand
jumps worth of experience and have been
the foundation of the Black Knight’s
demonstration stack that also includes
Brandon Zwank and Team Captain, Chris
Smith. The action in the sky was relayed
to the crowd by Cadet David Caskey,
whose energetic voice has become a familiar component in the team’s demonstrations. Throughout the fall season the
team has jumped into three Army Football games, the most in recent history, as
well as performed a demonstration following the Cadet Review prior to the
Army vs. Morgan State football game in
August. The team is honored to have
supported the West Point Military Academy through demonstration jumps this
past fall and looks forward continuing
our support in the spring!
CDT Clay Sohn ’14 presents the Game Ball prior to Army Vs. Western Kentucky
BLACK
KNIGHTS
BULLETIN
PAGE
6
Run-Ins
GRAD
GAB
By CDT Robert Fetters ‘14
T H I S S E C T I O N I S
C U R R E N T L Y I N
T H E
M A K I N G !
W I L L
As the current historian for the team, I have always been
excited about the history and memories that each team
member leaves behind. Learning about the stories and finding out where everyone is now is just part of the project
though. Part of what sparked the project was running into
some alumni of the team during my travels. These random
occurrences are what sparked the idea of reaching out and
bridging the gaps of different generations. While I was at
the Pentagon, I had the honor or running into COL Aaron
Merrill from the class of '93. It was awesome hearing about
his experiences on the team. This type of run in should not
happen just by random luck though. One of our goals is to
reach to alumni and create a network of friends and associates that we can share experiences and who can mentor new
LT's. We also had the honor of MAJs Andrew Morgan and
Travis McIntosh, both class of '98, drop in while we were
practicing at the loft. We had an amazing experience learning about their time on team as well as sharing our experiences with them. Visiting the team is always a welcome experience for us all, and we look forward to more of these in
the future. Attached to every newsletter from now on will be
a schedule with upcoming events and locations in the hope
that anyone who wishes to visit can do so at anytime. When
firsties learn about their branches and posts, that information will also be sent out so that our new LT's can reach out
to people who will be located at their different posts. We are
a family, having undergone much of the same training, camaraderie, and love for our sport. We hope to only build
this during the years to come. Blue Skies, and we can't wait
to hear and meet from every single alumni!
-Cadet Robert Fetters, Historian
B I O S O F F O R M E R
T E A M M E M B E R S ,
S T O R I E S
G R A D S ,
R U N - I N S
KNIGHTS
F R O M
A N D
A N Y
T H A T
T H E
T E A M H A S . P L E A S E
S H A R E Y O U R S T O -
Please respond to these emails and share with us where you
are now as well as stories and pictures, as we will start to
feature these in the newsletters. Thank you!
BLACK
I T
F E A T U R E
BULLETIN
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
3
PAGE
Meet Our Cows
By CDT Barry Ball ‘15
7
B
L
A
C
K
K
N
Barry Ball
Catherine Fuller
Kristopher Korzan
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Hometown: Boerne, TX
Hometown: Camarillo, CA
Major: Sociology
Major: Chinese
Major: Physics
Branch: Infantry
Branch: Military Intelligence
Branch: Aviation
Hobbies: Exploring different cultures,
trying new things, watching movies, martial arts
Hobbies: Skydiving, reading, and scuba
diving
Hobbies: Playing guitar and reading
Quote: "But thou, O man of God, flee
these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience,
meekness. Fight the good fight of faith ..."
- 1 Tim 6: 11-12
Granath Musson
Quote: "If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance
run, yours is the Earth and everything
that's in it" - Rudyard Kipling
Mitxel Totorica
Quote: "Learn from yesterday, live for
today, hope for tomorrow. The important
thing is to never stop questioning." – Einstein
Sara Vagie
Hometown: Siloam, NC
Hometown: Boise, ID
Major: Human Geography
Major: American Politics and Portuguese
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Branch: Aviation
Branch: Infantry
Branch: Finance/Aviation/Engineers
Hobbies: Running, being outdoors, traveling, and meeting cool people
Hobbies: Swimming, weightlifting, reading, and playing video games
Quote: "Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure. It is our
light not our darkness that most frightens
us." - Marianne Williamson
Hobbies: Working with cars, saving tons
of money, and finding good deals
Quote: "Penny saved is a penny earned"
"Chancho, I need to borrow some sweats"
– Nacho Libre
Quote: "Make the most of yourself, for that
is all there is of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I
G
H
T
B
I
O
S
PAGE
COME ONE, COME ALL!
8
T H I S
S E C T I O N
I N C L U D E S
U C O M I N G
E V E N T S
O F
T H E
W P P T
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Joint Training with USAFA in Marana, AZ
1
2
3
USAFA
8
4
5
6
7
NOVEMBER
Sun
Plain Practice, USMA
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
3
4
DECEMBER
Wind Tunnel
Collegiate Nationals—Lake Wales, Florida
30
31
1
2
Collegiate Nationals—Lake Wales, Florida
JAN
29
Please feel free to join us at any of our team events!
27 NOV—1 DEC
22 DEC—4 JAN
Class of 2015 joint team training with USAFA
Collegiate Nationals
Marana, AZ
Lake Wales, Florida
3 DEC—5 DEC
Practice on the Plain
USMA
8 DEC
For more information regarding any team
event, please contact the editor or historian.
Wind Tunnel training
SkyVenture Wind Tunnel—Nashua, NH
BLACK
KNIGHTS
BULLETIN
PAGE
DAY BY DAY
WE GET BETTER AND BETTER
UNTIL WE CAN’T BE BEAT
WON’T BE BEAT!
Letter From the Editor
I hope you all enjoyed this issue of the
Black Knights Bulletin. This edition included our team events for the past
month from the trip to Air Force to the
last home demo of the season.
This edition we also changed the layout
of the bulletin a little, adding another
section specifically for former teammates. It will feature your bios, stories,
and any run-ins between former and
present team members. We ask that
you please send any stories from your
days on the team or any run-ins you
have had with current or former team
members.
Thank you to all those who contributed
to this issue. Thank you to CPT Matt
Heisey (USMAPT ‘05) for sharing CPT
Brad Nicka’s story. Once a teammate,
always a teammate. To the cadets,
thank you for taking time out of your
busy schedules to submit articles and
add to our bulletin. The newsletter
would not be the same without your
contributions.
By CDT Alexandra Deets ‘16
For December’s issue, in honor of
the holiday season and Nationals,
we ask graduates to send in articles
about Collegiate Nationals or other
competitions, holiday team traditions, Army vs. Navy Football, and
anything else you remember about
the team, West Point and the season. All stories are welcome!
Also, we are gathering the addresses of team members who are
deployed. Please contact the editor
with any information you have.
Once again, I hope you enjoyed the
latest issue of the Black Knights Bulletin. If you have any comments or
recommendations pertaining to the
newsletter or would like to submit an
article/ picture, please feel free to
contact me through the information
listed below.
Black Knights Bulletin Editor:
CDT Alexandra Deets
P.O. Box 1150
West Point, NY 10997
[email protected]
If anyone wants to know more about
how they can help the team, please
contact Robert Fetters at
[email protected] or Jessica
Kuhlman at [email protected].
Please check out our Facebook page and
LinkedIn page:
www.facebook.com/pages/West-PointParachute-Team/166801830014020
www.linkedin.com/pub/west-pointparachute-team/86/141/873/
Respectfully,
CDT Alexandra Deets
Company H-2, USCC
Class of 2016, USMA
9