World War 2 Veteran Parachutes from Plane to Mark 100th Birthday
- Thomas Rice, an ex-soldier who fought in World War 2, turned 100 in style
- The centenarian, who was a paratrooper, parachuted from a plane to mark his special day
- Rice appeared unfazed as he landed at a hotel where family and friends were waiting
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Age is just a number, so goes a common saying. A 100-year-old World War 2 veteran seems to be living by this mantra as he marked becoming a centenarian uniquely.
Source: UGC
On Sunday, August 15, Thomas Rice parachuted from a plane which was his favourite during the war.
"The airplane that he loves is our C-53D DO and refers to her as his favourite aircraft which he nicknamed DOLLY," a representative of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) team said.
In a video of the jump, the unfazed centenarian and his co-pilot landed in front of a hotel in San Diego as a group of family and friends cheered him on.
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Having fun
Speaking afterwards, the centenarian said the skydiving experience was lots of fun.
"It’s unbelievable what you can view from up there. We do a lot of manoeuvring up there. That was a lot of fun,” he told Fox 5.
According to CAF, Rice is no novice at parachuting as he is a seasoned paratrooper.
"His first experience in combat was parachuting into the dark skies. He was dropped at 160 mph as the pilots of his plane tried to evade the enemy fire,” the organisation stated.
After the war, Rice got a degree at San Diego State University and was a social science and history teacher for over four decades.
He also wrote a memoir titled Trial by Combat: A Paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division Remembers the 1944 Battle of Normandy.
Woman celebrates grandma
In July, a Kenyan woman celebrated her 100-year-old grandmother, who taught her how to walk.
Linda Alinda-Ikanza shared a photo of herself with her 100-year-old grandmother clutching her arm.
According to her, the photo was priceless because it showed reversed roles. As a child, Linda took longer than usual to start walking, and her grandmother is the one who taught her how to.
“She likes to remind me that I owe my walking to her.
She is right because my parents were taking me to hospital to fit metals on my feet as the last resort to get me walking," Linda explained.
Source: YEN.com.gh
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