Michael Howie

GARY — "This is gonna be a cold ride."

The commander of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, the military branch's parachute team, wasn't kidding. Temperatures ranged from hot to scorching hot for the thousands on Gary's beaches Saturday morning, but it was far chillier 12,500 feet above them as the Army's parachute demonstration team prepared to jump.

The spectacle was the first of two planned jumps for the team at the Gary Air Show, the two-day event that wraps up Sunday. Along with the Golden Knights, the show also features the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, who perform death-defying feats like flying in formation at more than 500 miles per hour with wing tips just 18 inches apart from each other.

For the Golden Knights, however, it was business as usual Saturday morning. After

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