Bush Sr. Makes 85th Bday Parachute Jump

George H.W. Bush Lands Safely In Maine, Vows To Repeat On 90th

(AP)  Former President George H.W. Bush marked his 85th birthday on Friday the same way he did his 75th and 80th birthdays: He leaped from a plane and zoomed downward in freefall before parachuting safely to a spot near his Maine oceanfront home.

Bush made the tandem jump from 10,500 feet with Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott of the Army's Golden Knights, who guided them to a gentle landing on the lawn of St. Ann's Church.

"Well, we made it. It was a great day in the air," Bush said after he was removed from his harness.

He said he enjoyed it so much that he planned to do it again when he turns 90.

When he was president, Bush was an avid jogger, speed golfer, fisherman and tennis player. He said he has slowed down since then, but he doesn't intend to stop moving.

He told reporters that he jumped Friday for two reasons: to experience the exhilaration of free-falling and to show that seniors can remain active and do fun things.

"Just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner," he said. "Get out and do something. Get out and enjoy life."

His first parachute jump came when his plane was shot down over the Pacific in 1944 during World War II. He bailed out at 1,500 feet (450 meters) after a bombing mission. His two crewmates didn't make it.

In 1997, Bush fulfilled a wartime promise he made to himself that someday he'd jump from a plane for fun by hopping out over Yuma, Arizona, and he jumped again on his 75th birthday at his library in Texas.

His days of solo parachuting ended at age 80 when bad weather forced him to scrap his plan to go alone. He made not one but two tandem jumps, both with Elliott, in Texas.

The skydiving jump marked Bush's seventh parachute leap from an airplane. His last jump was in November 2007 at the reopening of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. He made that jump unannounced after having hip replacement surgery.

Friday marked his first jump over an ocean since World War II.

Former First Lady Barbara Bush doesn't object to her octogenarian husband's fascination with skydiving.

"She is fine with it, particularly now that he does tandem jumps. She has so much trust and faith in the Golden Knights that she's fine with it," said Jean Becker, Bush's chief of staff.

[6591Hou]

It takes a cowardly petty a** to mouth off about an 85 year old WWII decorated vet, crap like jumping off cliffs and other assorted b.s., let the man have his birthday for crying out loud - I'd be willing to bet that most of us won't be doing that when we're 85.
If you don't agree with his politics just respect the fact that he was flying combat over the Pacific on behalf of his nation.

[TPS2]

Does that make your stomach turn or what???

HAIL OBAMA???
Posted by walt1944

No, bit your little man crush on Obama does.

[bwlewis1964]

He didn't invite his no#1 son Bill Clinton?

[picklepants7]

Iran-Contra architect needs to share a cell with Cheney for the rest of his birthdays.
Posted by kbbpll at 7:56 AM : Jun 13, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink

you are a complete moron who knows nothing about politics. you must be a dumbacrate! reading is fundamental, but you wouldn't know that, because you don't know how to read!

[picklepants7]

god bless one of the greatest and the most honest presidents of all time. he represented more than anyone else. the man has class and brains. unlike obama.

[nofoolling]

Since this is one of the ringleaders in the forever war for forever profits scam/scheme, wmd, wmd, I say we send him to Leavenworth for his birthday party, and leave him there.

I wonder if he'll share some of his bloodmoney with the families of the 3/4 of a million dead men, women, and children he helped murder?

[bigsk8fan]

george h w bush only had one term in office. dubya go two. what's up with that?

at least americans were proud of the father. almost as happy as they are to be rid of dubya!

[mainermike]

AS I SEE IT --- Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

Of course he made a tandem jump, he's 85 years old!

[kbbpll]

Iran-Contra architect needs to share a cell with Cheney for the rest of his birthdays.

[Illuminated1]

Tandem jumps are for sissys....

Do it solo and impress me....

[mainermike]

This is AS I SEE IT, by Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

Although I think it's great what Bush is doing at such an age, or any age, for that matter, he shouldn't have said what he said about how you don't have to sit in a corner drooling when you get old.

George, some people at your age are drooling in a corner because they are very ill, and don't have much time left because of it.

If you have health, you should take advantage of it.

But some people are too sick to go skydiving, and can't help but drool in a corner.

That's AS I SEE IT. I'm Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

[zonkzilla]

Happy Birthday Mr. President, and wishes for many more to come to you and all the WW2 veterans.
Thank you for your service in WW2.

[hungry1968-15]

Too bad his idiot kid didn't try it without a parachute, before the 2000 elections.

The world would be a far better place because of it.

[timothyjo]

TOO most people it is wierd to see a grown man (in body) with a big black man on his back LOL is just creepy when you are carried did u really JUMP LOL please All at tax payers exp>>And his sons ,george with his hands in his pockets after picking pockets of all americans LOL They should be ashamed of themselves but republicians have no shame!!!

[prezswain]

Seriously people...this article is about the man's 85th birthday....lay off the personal attacks, I'm a liberal too, wasn't a fan of the former Bush presidents, but we have to have a little more dignity then this.

[walt1944]

Its too bad the Bird of Paradise didn't find the old fart on his way down.

Bush Senior is DIRECTLY responsible for the economic mess we had in 1991 and thanks to him, we have FREE TRADE!!!!!

And, of course, thanks to him we have been "blessed" with George W. Bush and Jeb Bush!!!!

Does that make your stomach turn or what???

HAIL OBAMA???

[formrusmcsgt]

I wonder how #41 feels about his own son being so horrific a president that he put their party on life support.....

[nofoolling]

Since this is one of the ringleaders in the forever war for forever profits scam/scheme, wmd, wmd, I say we send him to Leavenworth for his birthday party, and leave him there.

I wonder if he'll share some of his bloodmoney with the families of the 3/4 of a million dead men, women, and children he helped murder?

[realityzone]

I always liked Mr. Bush Sr., Happy Birthday.

[tanberet]

"Hate will only destroy YOU, not your "enemies" on the right."

Posted by randomlybanned at 9:08 PM : Jun 12, 2009

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Wrong. It actually helps keep us from making the same mistakes again in the future.

More importantly, perhaps, expressing it also helps ensure that our children and grandchildren hear it and internalize it as well, so that THEY don't make the same mistake in the future.

People have long memories. Family units have even longer memories. When a political party screws one generation over, the lesson lives on through many of the generations that follow.

Republicans often tend to forget that particular dynamic, for some reason. But it's the reason they so seldom enjoy the honor of being voted into positions of political power.