World War II veteran jumps out of plane to celebrate 98th birthday

PALATKA, Fla. – More than 150 parachutists headed to Skydive Palatka over the weekend to pay tribute to the brave heroes of World War II. Among the group was a 98-year-old World War II Veteran.

World War II Veteran Paratrooper Vince Speranza of the 101st Airborne took to the skies for a tandem skydive proving that age is just a number.

Speranza boarded a C-47 aircraft Saturday alongside the owner of “Skydive Palatka,” Art Shaffer.

Taking off in the “Tico Belle” —an aircraft used during the Normandy D-Day invasion — the pair were joined by people from all over the country with the Round Canopy Parachuting Team - USA Foundation.

Some people who participated in the jumps over the weekend will head to Normandy, France this summer. They plan to perform canopy parachute jumps to mark 79 years since the D-Day invasion of World War II.


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Amanda DeVoe joined the News4JAX team in March 2022 as a morning news and traffic anchor

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