To honor the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, particularly the men of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions who jumped into France before troops reached the beaches, a group of veterans in Congress will recreate their parachute jump. On Friday, these veterans, wearing replicas of the 1944 paratrooper uniforms, will jump from a historic C-47 aircraft onto the the same drop zones as in 1944.
“From a military perspective, the longer you’re up there under a parachute, the more vulnerable you are to being shot at, so you want to be as low to the ground as possible so you can get down as quickly as possible,” said Waltz, a retired Green Beret who will jump out of a plane over France on Friday with several of his House colleagues to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“You don’t land gently, like when you see a skydiver who just lays on the ground on his tiptoes. You hit pretty hard,” Waltz said.
In the days surrounding the anniversary of the June 6 attack, performers, veterans and busy military personnel will recreate the historic air invasion of Normandy, which marked the beginning of the offensive that wrested control from the Nazis and changed the course of the war.
The jump is being carried out not only to commemorate the events of that day, but also to remember the few remaining veterans of Operation Overlord who are still with us. Some of them are in France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Later this week, a gigantic congressional delegation will fly to France for a multi-day commemoration. They will visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where many of the roughly 2,500 Americans who died during the D-Day attack are buried. They will also pay tribute to living veterans who served in World War II.
“This is the 80th anniversary. That means the youngest World War II veteran we know of that will be there is 96. The oldest is 107. Several have died since they signed up with American Airlines, so it’s important to honor them to keep their legacy alive,” Waltz said.
More than a dozen senators will travel to France, and Speaker Mike Johnson canceled Thursday’s House votes to allow members of his chamber to also travel across the Atlantic. But only a select group will make the jump over Mont Saint-Michel on Friday. According to Waltz’s office, the group includes Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, a retired Army Ranger, and Republican Reps. Mark Green, Dan Crenshaw, Rich McCormick, Derrick Van Orden, Keith Self, Darrell Issa, Ronny Jackson and Cory Mills.
It is undoubtedly an captivating way to celebrate this day, even if it means jumping out of a plane about to land.
See also: USA asks British archaeologists for lend a hand in recovering a missing pilot from the Second World War
WATCH: Paris airport gives US veterans a tearful hero’s welcome ahead of 80th anniversary of D-Day
Of course, the congressmen will not march in at night or come under withering fire from German anti-aircraft guns. They will not jump into battle with weapons against the enemy lurking on all sides. They will not be hit by mortar shells or snipers, and their transport planes will not be hit and crashed.
It’s probably for the best. And the fact that these congressmen were able to make that jump safely and in peace on Friday is a testament to the achievement of the original paratroopers 80 years ago.
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