Say Anything Blog

Last month a group of eldery veterans were told by the Army that they could not re-create their historic jump into Normandy during the celebration of D-Day due to the risk of one of them getting hurt or injured.

Arizona Daily Star - "I am depressed. I was really looking forward to it," said Howard Greenberg, 79. "My reason for wanting to do it was to honor two Jewish friends of mine who were killed in World War II."

"I resent being told I'm not physically fit. I only weigh 11 pounds more than I did the day I was discharged," he said.

Greenberg, a retired optometrist in suburban Bay Village, served with the 11th Airborne in the Pacific during the war and jumped into Normandy in 1994 on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

That time, President Bill Clinton gave the ultimate approval that allowed 38 veterans to jump near Ste.-Mere-Eglise, the D-Day objective of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Some of them landed on a herd of French cows.

Bob McCaffery, chairman of the Friends of D-Day 2004, the group raising money to pay for the jump, said he was notified of the Army's decision on Thursday.

"The Army realized that these guys have trained and they are the exception among average 80-year-olds," said McCaffery, of Las Vegas. "But they said the risk of an injury happening at a ceremony of this magnitude was just too great."

Not letting a direct order from the Army get them down, six of the Veterans decided to make the jump any way without permission.

Free Republic - Defying age and the advice of local authorities, six US World War II veterans parachuted into this northern French village with youthful vigour to remember the invasion of Normandy 60 years ago.
Four of the octogenarians had parachuted into Sainte-Mere-Eglise as part of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, making it one of the first villages to be captured by the invading Allied troops in a daring and famous assault behind the enemy lines of Nazi-occupied France.

Sixty years on, on a glorious summer afternoon, the six parachutes unfurled against the clear sky at around 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) and all the veterans landed safely to the rousing applause of the hundreds of spectators.

"I feel tremendous. Toujours (always) terrific," Tom Morrison, a veteran of the parachute raid, told the crowd after landing his chute just metres away from the centre of the target.

"It's a pleasure to jump for you and represent all the airborne forces and all the forces who did not get back," added the robust veteran, before yelling at journalists to stop treading on his parachute.

"Jumping today was a little different to back then -- now we have a modern parachute -- and they are just a whole lot easier to fly," he added, expressing regret he had just missed the target.

Morrison's colleagues, decked out in full military uniform, all landed well in nearby fields, managing to easily avoid the threat of a nearby river that had caused local officials some concern.

The drop into Sainte-Mere-Eglise by thousands of US paratroopers at the start of D-Day has become part of World War II folklore and made famous by the film 'The Longest Day'.

I can't help but smile. Its Americans like these that make me proud to call my self an American.

I'm glad they made the jump. Shame on the Army for trying to stop them. These proud soldiers are well aware of the risks involved with jumping out of an airplane at their age and were willing to face them.