A 97-year-old D-Day veteran was part of an air invasion on a Normandy beach again, 75 years after he first hit the beach.
Tom Rice, 97, of San Diego, helped commemorate the invasion Wednesday of Normandy during World War II by Allied troops by parachuting onto the beach while thousands watched.
Rice, one of many jumpers, said he had to brush up on his jumping skills with six months of practice before undertaking the endeavor.
“It went perfect, perfect jump.” Rice said. “I feel great. I’d go up and do it all again.”
American hero: 97-year-old World War II veteran Tom Rice parachutes once again over Normandy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. https://t.co/cBI7LjvzQg#DDay75 #DDay pic.twitter.com/PU8Qy41D8r
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) June 5, 2019
Despite his age, his latest jump went much more smoothly than his original drop.
“I got my left armpit caught in the lower left-hand corner of the door, so I swung out, came back, and hit the side of the aircraft — swung out again and came back and I just tried to straighten my arm out and I got free,” Rice said of his original jump onto the beach in 1944, calling it “the worst jump I ever had.”
“We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure. You can close the issue now,” Rice said.
Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, which occurred June 6, 1944. Over 150,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches in northwest France, with tens of thousands landing by parachute or glider. The operation marked the beginning of the end of the Axis powers.
