NASHVILLE, Tenn.–April 3rd, 2018–One of Christian music’s most popular recording artists will join the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Nashville list of tandem jumpers as the Army Golden Knights return to middle Tennessee April 10-13.
Multi-GRAMMY® and Dove-nominated recording artist The Martins, who hail from Hamburg, AR, will be among the jumpers this year. The jumps will be held each day at Outlaw Field in Clarksville, TN. Sisters, Judy Martin Hess, Joyce Martin Sanders and brother, Jonathan Martin, collectively known as The Martins, will be jumping on Wednesday, April 11. They’ll join the list of past tandem jumpers including: Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, Kellie Pickler and members of Little Big Town.
“We have spent our entire lives together,” said Judy Martin Hess. “With only three years between us, we have always been close as siblings. While sharing a music career since we were children, we have literally accumulated a lifetime of memories. So it only makes perfect sense that we would jump out of an airplane together!”
Hess said she and her siblings were honored to be selected to be jumpers. They’ll be bringing many of their family members along with them to share in this special day. “The Golden Knights are a group of brave people who keep all of us safe every day by defending our country,” Hess shared. “We are eternally grateful for the sacrifices they make. Now we are putting our trust in them to give us an experience of a lifetime!”
“We’re excited to have one of the U.S. Army’s elite units back in the middle Tennessee area this year,” said Lt. Col. Kevin M. Polosky, commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Nashville. “Our event last year was quite successful, and we’re grateful to have another opportunity this year.” Polosky said jumpers were nominated by local Army recruiters. The jumpers are a diverse group of educators, entertainers, civic leaders and sports figures.
Last year, Christian performers Gary Chapman and Brandon Heath both jumped. They were so well-received the battalion reached out for a more traditional group. “We had initially hoped we could get one member of The Martins to jump,” Polosky said. “We quickly learned that The Martins are a package deal, and all three were willing to participate.”
Tandem jumpers are attached to an experienced Golden Knights’ jumper. The pair will exit the aircraft from up to one mile off the ground and then land on Clarksville’s Outlaw Field.
Jumps are made only after a bloc of training and time to familiarize with their jumper. Once tandem partners are fitted with their jump suits, they will board the aircraft. The tandem duos usually have a one-minute free fall before their parachutes are open. Upon landing, they are interviewed by Golden Knights’ personnel who will take video footage and still photographs of their jump.
Millions of people throughout the world come to see the Golden Knights each year at more than 100 demonstration sites across the nation and abroad. Demonstration teams can support events with two totally different shows staged at an altitude of 12,500 feet above the earth. Team members demonstrate the maneuverability of the human body while falling at speeds in excess of 120 mph.
United States Army Parachute Team was founded in 1959. By 1962, the team earned the nickname the “Golden Knights.” The color “Golden” signified the gold medals the team had won while “Knights” alluded to the team’s ambition to conquer the skies.
About The Martins
Siblings Judy, Jonathan and Joyce Martin have enjoyed countless radio hits and performances on stages at such prestigious locations as The Grand Ole Opry and The White House, as well as concert halls, auditoriums and churches nationwide. During the 1990s, The Martins rose to national and international success, showcasing their stunning and distinctive harmonies before a vast array of audiences, from Bill Gaither’s multi-award-winning HOMECOMING Video and Concert Series to the White House to Carnegie Hall. Over the years the trio has garnered eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, a GRAMMY® nomination and multiple hit songs.
After nearly a decade of pursuing individual music careers, the trio reunited in 2010, and released their first new recording in 10 years, New Day, produced by Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts). In 2014, The Martins joined renown arranger Lari Goss and long-time friends and producers Michael English, David Phelps and Matthew Holt to record a new a cappella hymns project. The recording, simply titled A Cappella, was released in May of 2014, and earned the group a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album, as well as a Dove Award nomination for Inspirational Album of the Year from the Gospel Music Association.
Most recently, The Martins returned to the recording studio with multi-award-winning producer, arranger and musician Gordon Mote. The recording will feature newly-penned compositions, as well as several classics, and is set to be released in July, 2018, under the Gaither Music Group label.
##
