jumping out of a helicopter. And nobody tried to stop him.
The 41st president tweeted breezily several hours before the event:
"It's a wonderful day in Maine - in fact, nice enough for a parachute
jump."
Bush made the jump - his parachute was red, white and blue - even
though he has mostly had to use a wheelchair to get around for the
last year. He has vascular Parkinsonism, which causes symptoms similar
to Parkinson's disease.
It was a tandem jump from a helicopter near his summer home in
Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush was harnessed to Sgt. 1st Class Mike
Elliott, a retired member of the Army's parachute team.
Television images captured the former president, noted for daredevil
stunts in his retirement, floating gently to the Earth in what
appeared to be a long arc.
It was the former world leader's eighth parachute jump. The first
time, he had no choice.
In 1944 Bush was a 20-year-old torpedo bomber pilot serving in World
War II. His squadron was on a mission when it was attacked. His
plane's engine was on fire, but he released his bombs and headed back
toward the aircraft carrier San Jacinto. On the way, he had to bail
out over the ocean. Three other crew members died. Bush earned the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
The former president has commemorated three other landmark birthdays
with parachute jumps - plummeting to the Earth at 100 mph on his 75th,
80th and 85th.
--www.latimes.com
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