A 98-year-old World War II veteran Vince Speranza, of the 101st Airborne, had one final jump. He celebrated his birthday with a tandem skydive! The Florida resident and his tandem instructor jumped from the "Tico Belle," an aircraft that was used in the Normandy D-Day invasion. Speranza has made other tandem skydives for recent commemorative events around the world.
In his book, "Nuts," Speranza tells his story of training as a Paratrooper and first seeing combat as a machine gunner in the "Battle of the Bulge." Speranza made training jumps in the final days of World War II in preparation for a possible airborne attack in the Pacific before Japan surrendered. He was also the featured speaker on Saturday with a fireworks show in honor of his slightly belated 98th birthday.
I can only pray that at 98, I still have his energy and zest for life--happy birthday, sir!
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images