With his 40-year high school reunion on the horizon, Stanley “Bo” Kinnison jumped at the chance to return to his hometown to celebrate with fellow Pendleton High School classmates.

A member of the class of 1978, Kinnison has only been back to town a handful of times since turning the tassel. The team leader for the Special Forces Association Parachute Team, Kinnison will jump out of helicopter from 12,000 feet onto the Wildhorse Pow Wow Arena at Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission. The public is encouraged to attend the free event Saturday, Aug. 4 at 5:30 p.m.

The evening event will kick off with music from the Joe Lindsay Family. The Lexington farmer also is a Pendleton graduate.

Kinnison, who was born in Enterprise, joined the U.S. Army in 1979. His cousin, Monte Rush, who was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, steered him into joining the military.

“I had a lot of energy and I needed something to apply it to,” Kinnison said. “I was going down the wrong road doing the wrong things. I hung out with him and the next thing I know … I was in the recruiter’s office.”

After completing basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Kinnison made his first parachute jump. He was hooked. He left the Army in 1992 and seven years later joined the Special Forces Association Parachute Team, serving as team leader since 2009. Kinnison is looking forward to the local parachute performance.

“I might go all over the world and don’t get back that often but Pendleton is my hometown,” he said. “This will be one of my biggest honors.”

The all-volunteer team of 30 — which includes current and retired military personnel, as well as a few qualified civilian jumpers — is a nonprofit organization that supports the Special Forces Association. The group raises money to assist wounded special operations soldiers. In addition to participating in 70 demonstrations per year, they hold auctions for tandem jumps with team members. They have donate financial support to build specialized houses for wounded veterans and to provide therapy dogs for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder or other medical conditions.

Kinnison, who lives in North Carolina, works for the Special Warfare Training Group. However, the time he spends with the parachute team is what gives him the most satisfaction.

“As far as I’m concerned, when I step out the door with a flag during a jump — to have the whole stadium stand up and scream, ‘USA,’ you can’t replace that,” he said.

Kinnison has fond memories of attending Pendleton Round-Up with his dad, Buford Kinnison. While his dad died a number of years ago, Kinnison is looking forward to having breakfast at the Rainbow Cafe and reminiscing about his father’s rodeo days.

“My dad rode some bucking horses that they said couldn’t be rode, but he rode them,” Kinnison said with pride.

In addition, he plans to drive out to Rieth to visit Shirley Young. While growing up, Kinnison said he spent a lot of time visiting his buddy, Ed Young, and grew close to his friend’s mom.

“She is an unbelievable woman,” Kinnison said. “She is like a mother to me.”

For more information about the reunion activities, contact Janet (Runnion) Koch at 541-377-0584 or janetann2011@hotmail.com. For more about the Special Forces Association Parachute Team, visit www.sfapt.net.

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Contact Community Editor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539