Former United States president George H W Bush has marked his 90th birthday with nothing less than a skydive.
The 41st commander-in-chief parachuted out of a helicopter near his family home in Kennebunkport, Maine at about 10:45am Thursday (local time).
"It's a wonderful day in Maine; in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump," tweeted the elder Bush, who these days is mostly pictured in a wheelchair.
A helicopter picked him up from his home, his family singing 'Happy Birthday' before take-off.
The tandem jump was Bush's eighth jump since his first on September 2, 1944, when he was shot down over the Pacific island Chi Chi Jima as a pilot in World War II.
He recalled that experience in an NBC interview with his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager aired on Thursday, acknowledging it actually made him want to jump again - and do it right.
"I pulled the rip cord too early, hit the tail of the plane with my head, just a glancing blow," he said.
"And that, I decided that later on, well I want to do it right. And so that did spark my interest in making another jump. This time getting it correct."
The Republican, who was in the White House from 1989 to 1993, also jumped to mark his 80th and 85th birthdays.
Today he was guided to the ground by retired Sergeant 1st Class Mike Elliott, who also jumped with Bush five years ago.
Elliott said Bush was "smiling like a kid in kindergarten" after landing. The pair, using a patriotic red, white and blue parachute, were welcomed onto the lawn of a local church by several hundred people, including Bush's wife Barbara and their son – former president George W Bush.
Washington wished Bush snr well, with President Barack Obama leading the way and telling NBC the 90-year-old was a "fine man".
"And I just want him to know that from the whole Obama family, we wish him all the best," he said.
The Senate, meanwhile, passed a resolution in honour of Bush late on Wednesday extending best wishes to him and his wife Barbara.
AFP/3 News
source: newshub archive
