CORONADO, Calif. (KGTV) - A 97-year-old World War II veteran returned home to Coronado Tuesday after a parachute jump over Normandy, in France, on the anniversary of D-Day.
“They weren’t shooting at us, that’s one thing,” Tom Rice said when asked about his jump. “It was daylight, while the night jump in 1944, it was dark.”
Rice jumps out of planes to commemorate the D-Day anniversary every year, but this time was special because it was over Normandy. He said he does it as a tribute to the men he served with and the sacrifice they made.
“(It’s) to honor those who did not come back, who are deceased,” Rice said. “That was my dedication to them.”
Rice plans to jump out of a plane again next year and plans to keep doing it until he’s 101 years old.
