Watch: WWII paratrooper, 98, jumps from the sky once more

PALATKA, Fla. — Vince Speranza, 98, jumped from the sky once more on Saturday more than 75 years after the veteran paratrooper made training jumps in the final days of World War II.

Organizers said Speranza, of the 101st Airborne, made a tandem skydive with Art Shaffer of Skydive Palatka on Saturday. The pair jumped from the “Tico Belle,” a World War II veteran C-47 aircraft flown during the Normandy D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

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“Fantastic,” Speranza said after his boots landed back on the ground.

According to Speranza’s memoir, “Nuts,” he made training jumps in the final days of World War II in France in preparation for a possible airborne attack in the Pacific before Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

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The Round Canopy Parachuting Team - USA Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing awareness and educating the public about the sacrifices and heroism of Allied Paratroopers from World War II onward, hosted Speranza for his jump.

Photos: WWII paratrooper, 98, jumps from the sky once more

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Vince Speranza Vince Speranza, a 98-Year-old World War II Veteran Paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division observes members of the Round Canopy Parachuting Team USA - Foundation perform training jumps to prepare for upcoming jumps into Normandy France this summer and air show in the United States. (Round Canopy Parachuting Team - USA)

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