House legislators skydive in tribute to D-Day veterans
Ayers, a 6-foot-6 World War II paratrooper who died last year. “What Skytrain footage do [veterans] show their grandchildren? I was there linking the past to the present,” he said.
A bipartisan group of House representatives, who are all veterans, participated in a plane jump in Normandy, France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the historic invasion that marked the end of World War II. Led by Reps. Mike Waltz and Jason Crow, the group of 10 congressmen paid tribute to US and Allied veterans by jumping from a vintage C-47 Skytrain onto the Norman bocage. Rep. Crow had also participated in a similar jump for the 75th anniversary. The jump was also a way for the representatives to pass on their legacy and inspire young people to learn about the historic event. Rep. Cory Mills, who jumped in honor of a World War II paratrooper, described the experience as amazing and a way to link the past to the present.
A bipartisan House delegation participated in a plane jump Friday morning to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the historic invasion that led to the end of World War II.
The group, visiting Normandy, France, for the anniversary, comprised 10 congressmen, all veterans themselves, and led by Reps. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Jason Crow (D-CO). Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) and Cory Mills (R-FL) are among those who participated to honor both U.S. and Allied veterans and troops. The lawmakers jumped from a vintage C-47 Skytrain and onto the Norman bocage.
Both Crow and Waltz participated in a similar jump for the 75th anniversary. Crow served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment, and Waltz, the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress, served 27 years in the Army and National Guard before retiring during his second term in Congress.
“I think to really do something that is notable that, you know, maybe young people will pay attention to and go, ‘Wow, that’s exciting and cool,’ to kind of pass on their legacy is worthwhile,” Waltz told ABC News.
Mills told the Washington Examiner the jump was “amazing.” He jumped in honor of Peter Arthur Durante, a constituent in Florida’s 7th Congressional District and World War II veteran who celebrated his 100th birthday on Monday. Durante served in the Navy Seabees in the 119th Battalion.
Exclusive video sent to me from Rep. Cory Mills as he jumps from a plane in Normandy to honor the 80th anniversary of D-Day!
Mills joined other House members in jumping from a C-47 Skytrain this morning
— Rachel Schilke (@rachel_schilke) June 7, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised the eight House GOP lawmakers who completed the jump in a post to X on Friday.
“Safe landings for our great patriots honoring the Greatest Generation!” Johnson said.
The bipartisan jump comes at a time in Congress when the two political parties rarely see eye-to-eye on politics. Infighting has plagued both the Republican and Democratic conferences over government spending, the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and investigations into both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
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Earlier in the week, some House Republicans spoke to the anxiety of their colleagues jumping from the plane due to the GOP’s razor-thin majority of just two seats in the House. Some of those jumping dismissed those fears.
“You know what? Some things are worth doing,” Van Orden told Politico. “And if we lose the majority because some of us are paying respect to the Greatest Generation, so be it.”
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