Vietnam paratrooper jumps out of plane for his 90th birthday
Bradley Davis
FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — On a Friday in June above Fremont County, the bluebird skies stretch for as far as the eye can see. Except for one, small splash of color.
“Oh, I see him!” Barbara King said while looking up at a parachuting figure.
At this distance, it’s impossible to see who.
“That’s Harry!” Baraba said.
Well, she knows who she’s looking for.
“It’s his first time being 90 years old,” King said.
It’s her husband’s birthday. Harry King has waited 90 years for this 40 seconds of free fall, but he’s not the one in the group checking an item off his bucket.
“I told Pastor John, and I said, ‘You won’t believe the adrenaline rush on this,'” King said. “He said, ‘I’d like to do that.’ That was his mistake.”
His pastor is also one of his best friends, and Pastor John was more than a little nervous to join Harry in the air for the first time.
“That’s what happens when you pastor a church full of heroes,” Pastor John said.
“I jumped as many times as I could when I was in the Army,” Harry said.
Jumping in Fremont County is easy when you’ve already jumped behind enemy lines.
“I did 107 jumps in the Army, and two of them were combat jumps. I didn’t count on them, but that happened when I was in Vietnam, so,” Harry said.
On his 90th birthday, Harry finds himself surrounded. But only by friends.
“I can’t believe so many showed up,” Harry said.
That’s how the small blip in an endless sky can become the center of the world. The center of Barbara’s world.
“You did it, sweetie!”
The two embrace for a long moment after Harry’s smooth landing.
“Oh, I love you,” Harry said.
I love you, too.”
The skies might carry his spirit, but the ground holds his heart.
“I love you, darling,” Harry said again.
It’s another safe landing for Harry. He’s just missing one thing.
“Well, thank you, Dee. I feel naked without my cap!” Harry said as his friend returned his Vietnam Veteran hat to him.
It’s another small gesture that made Harry’s smile brighter than any bluebird sky.
“I’m glad I did it, babe,” Barbara said to Harry.
“I’m glad I did it too.”
Harry is not done yet. He said he hopes to plan another skydiving trip for his 95th birthday.