airtwardo 6 #1 August 19, 2011 Below is a letter I received from a team member & fellow dotcommer 'IOWA' describing a jump we had the honor of being a part of during the recent Airventure airshow in Oshkosh. Keith put into words much more eloquently than ever I could, how meeting and Skydiving with this young man made an impression that will last a life time. Getting to know this Marine changed me, as I'm sure it did all of us that got to spend the day with him making this happen. Someone with more pride, honor, guts, humble yet positive attitude...you will never meet. You name it, he epitomizes the word Hero in every possible connotation of the term. Think what you will regarding the country's state of affairs...the very fact that there are men in our ranks like Jon, can't help but give me pride with optimism & hope for the future. From Keith: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear friends and family, As a skydiver for 26 years with almost 3600 jumps and an Army veteran, I've made a lot of special jumps. I've jumped into Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day parades and ceremonies. I've done tandems with World War II airborne vets. I've met and jumped with people from all over the world. This one tops them all. Last week I was invited to jump with the Liberty Parachute Team to perform with them at the worlds largest airshow, EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) auctioned off three tandem jumps to raise money for the Young Eagles. The first one went for $(X) and the second two for $(X)! Wow! On Friday I was tapped to fly with the tandem to take video and still pictures. Some guy named Bob won the first bid but he gave the jump to a young Marine. Sergeant Jonathan B. lost both legs to an IED in Afghanistan. The left leg had almost half of the thigh and the right leg had nothing. After learning this our first concern was how to fit him in the harness and do the jump safely. We spoke with Jonathan and he shared our concern. He had already planned to have his grandfather jump in his stead if he wasn't able to. Jeff, his tandem instructor, said "Our first concern is your safety, the second is your dignity". Four tandem instructors and a very experienced rigger went to a private meeting room to fit and adjust the harness and make sure this was going to work and be safe. After an hour of fitting, and refitting we were all satisfied; confident that it would work safely. Sgt. B. is a Marine Sniper and a veteran of 48 military jumps, he was was easy to train and ready to jump in short order. We lifted him into the DC-3 and he shook off any help after that, hopped into the seat and put on the seat belt. We talked and joked on the way to altitude. At 5500' the fist stick to jump was eight other members of the Liberty Parachute Team and six of the Misty Blues (an all female skydiving team). Each of the LPT members saluted Jonathan when they got to the door and then exited one at a time. The last five of us started to prepare for our jump while we climbed to 10500'. Jim had the spotting duty and told us when to go. I climbed out the door with two cameras on my head, Bogie and Jonathan got into the door with Jim and Sam behind them. Ready, set, GO. The exit went well. Jonathan performed flawlessly and enjoyed the view of Lake Winnebago and the awesome display of aircraft on the ground below us. Jim docked on the tandem pair while Sam flew next to me. I got some great video and still shots while Jonathan smiled and gave us a thumbs up. At pull time Bogie waved, Jonathan deployed their parachute and the rest of us tracked away and opened ours. The canopy ride was spectacular as we performed turns and spirals in front of 100,000 people. Jim flew with the American flag and circled around Jonathan and Bogie. We all landed smoothly on target in front of the crowd. We gathered our gear and climbed into the back of convertibles and pickups for the "clap lap". The crowd cheered and many veterans stood and saluted Jonathan as we passed. Jonathan enjoyed the whole experience. I would like to thank the Liberty Parachute Team and Jonathan for allowing me to be part of this. It was an honor and a privilege. His great attitude and spirit made it very special. This amazing young man, this American soldier, this combat veteran, Sergeant Jonathan B., USMC, humbled me and reminded me what it means to be a veteran and an American. Keith http://www.youtube.com/dropzonevideo#p/u/9/rP1MXqaPIxY ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dks13827 3 #2 August 19, 2011 Wow !!! That is unbelievably happy !!! It sure is a reminder of the many fine people in the sport. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaH 0 #3 August 19, 2011 Fantastic! Be yourself! MooOOooOoo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fossg 0 #4 August 20, 2011 Thanks for shareing that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redramdriver 0 #5 August 20, 2011 From Veterans to Veterans...but more importantly citizens to Soldiers...we all..Salute our proud men and women. Congratulations on a wonderful jump!So, you bring your beer? Its 5 o'clock somewhere POPS #9344 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,079 #6 August 20, 2011 Excellent. Just excellent. Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #7 August 20, 2011 Your a lucky man to have been able to be a part of that. I do things for these kids i see on there way over or back from battle (Buy them a drink or whatever) but a day like that, that marine wont soon forget. Keep up the great work Twardo!Wait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zep 0 #8 August 20, 2011 Am I the only one that got misty eyes reading that. Do what you can when you can, those guys deserve more. Gone fishing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #9 August 20, 2011 Class Act !! on Everyone's part. very cool that our sport which had it's roots in our Armed Services can now come full circle to Honor a Soldier , in this way. Good Job.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #10 August 20, 2011 Quote I do things for these kids i see on there way over or back from battle (Buy them a drink or whatever) Believe it or not, we don't usually forget those days either. "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pincheck 0 #11 August 21, 2011 Nice story mate,funny how vets can make you so feel so, humble at timesgood job Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
