Today, not 75 years ago. What a cool story for this 97yr old veteran.
Rice jumped with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division on that momentous day 75 years ago, landing safely despite catching himself on the exit and a bullet striking his parachute. He called the 1944 jump “the worst jump I ever had.”
http://www.startribune.com/american-british-veterans-recreate-d-day-parachute-drops/510851942/
That is awesome, great story and amazing that he is fit and healthy enough at 97 to do this. So very few of these guys left. The Greatest Generation.
I had a high school history teacher who was part of the 82nd Airborne, jumped on D-Day and was shot three times (hand, butt, thigh) before he even touched the ground.
My late uncle Ted was supposed to storm the beach on D Day but tripped over a tent peg and broke his ankle the day before. 19 yrs old at the time. He was a few months recovering before being sent back to his unit only to find that half the guys were gone. It was only then that he realized how fortunate he had been. He survived the rest of the war.
I’m sure his mates gave him some pretty good nicknames.
Yeah, that’s amazing that they’re still able to make the jump. Great story, thanks for posting.