A WW2 veteran celebrated his 100th birthday in the most exciting way possible… by jumping out of a plane.
D-Day hero Tom Rice did it with the help of skydiving center Skydive Palatka.
Rice jumped from a vintage World War II airplane over the weekend in San Diego, California.
Art Shaffer of Skydive Palatka and his team went to California to perform a group skydive landing at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego.
D-Day paratrooper, Tom Rice will celebrate his 100th birthday with a skydive, honoring those who weren't as lucky to have survived. You may wonder how he is doing this? Rice does CrossFit twice a week at CrossFit Coronado.#crossfit pic.twitter.com/043xX1LMlU
— CrossFit (@CrossFit) August 13, 2021
San Diego is also Rice’s hometown and it’s where he signed up for service after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
Rice and Shaffer also jumped together into Normandy, France for D-Day’s 75th anniversary three years ago. Shaffer and Skydive Palatka are well known for providing skydive jumping experiences to many veterans of WW2.
WWII veteran Tom Rice celebrated his 100th birthday by skydiving out of a plane 7,500 feet over his hometown of Coronado, California. Rice told the reporters that he felt great after his jump and he plans to skydive again for his 101st birthday. pic.twitter.com/Hjl3y0GD7Q
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 23, 2021
Rice served in the war with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon sergeant and was in charge of 12 paratroopers until he jumped on June 6, 1944, over Normandy for Operation Overlord.
Rice said:
“There’s a lot to be done and a lot to live, it doesn’t make it any different what age you are. But do it!”
The veteran hopes to jump again when he turns 101 years old.
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