Army parachutist remembered for service, bravery

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Army's parachute team said it will not appear at the Kansas City Air Show next weekend. One of its members was killed Sunday, after colliding with another skydiver over Chicago.

Corey Hood served in Iraq and Afghanistan and CBS News spoke with someone who was with Hood as he prepared to jump.

The last moment's of Sergeant Corey Hood's life were captured on camera. Chicago radio reporter Bart Shore took the photos on board an airplane.

"All I see up there are smiles," said Shore. "They're ready to go and jump out that door and do what they do."

In midair, Hood collided with a Navy jumper and his backup parachute automatically deployed. Witnesses say he appeared unconscious when he hit the top of an apartment building. He then fell 20 stories to the pavement below.

"It was scary," said witness Adam Weiner. "Everyone just stopped talking. It was a moment of silence."

Hood was a member of the Army's Golden Knights skydivers and died during a maneuver called a "bomb burst," when the teams link together in formation, then separate and free fall.

The man who collided with Hood broke his leg, but was able to land on a nearby beach.

Hood, 32, began jumping in 2010 and had logged more than 500 free fall jumps.

He served five tours of duty as a forward observer -- one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army. He received two Bronze Stars.

"Putting your life on the line on a regular basis was not anything new for Hoody," said Jake Parker, who served with Hood in Afghanistan.

Hood's dream was to be a Golden Knight. He didn't make the team on his first try, but his persistence and personality paid off. At a veterans day celebration last year, he said he was proud to serve.

"It's such an honor," he said. "It's very humbling. I probably never guessed this would have happened to me 15 years ago."

Hood's autopsy, released this afternoon ruled his death an accident. He died from multiple blunt force injuries. The Navy skydiver hood collided with remains hospitalized in fair condition.