The U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team, known as the Para-Commandos, will perform a free-fall parachute demonstration Friday night when the Island Coast Gators host the North Fort Myers Red Knights in both teams’ first District 6A-11 football game.

The Para-Commandos are comprised of active duty military or Department of Defense civilians assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Most are combat veterans with Special Operations background. Many served with the U.S. Army Special Forces, commonly known as the elite Green Berets, while others served with U.S. Army Rangers, the world’s premier light infantry fighting force.

The U.S. Air Force is well represented with specialized combat controllers, para-rescue men and combat air crewmen. The U.S. Navy is represented with U.S. Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen, and the U.S. Marine Corps is represented by Special Operations Marines.

Special Operations Command was established in 1987 to bring Special Operations from all the services under one command headquarters. Special operators are highly skilled and trained in a variety of military missions ranging from direct combat to humanitarian assistance.

The command has approximately 57,000 active duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and DoD civilians assigned to the headquarters, its four components and one sub-unified command.

On any given day, more than 12,000 Special Operations Forces are deployed in more than 70 countries worldwide.