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To: NickSE who wrote (48732)	6/7/2004 9:20:40 PM
From: NickSE	Respond to of 794027

Six Aging U.S. Vets Drop Into Normandy abcnews.go.com SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE, France June 7, 2004 — Sixty years after the D-Day invasion, six U.S. veterans in their 70s and 80s parachuted Monday into Normandy in a re-enactment of their bold wartime jump. Hundreds of people turned out at near Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first French town to be liberated during World War II, to watch them jump safely to the ground. "This is a great feeling to have been able to realize a jump that will certainly be the last of our lives," said Carl Beck, 79, of Atlanta. "And with the crowd, it was just magic." Under blue skies, the veterans jumped out of a Twin Otter aircraft from a mile high. "We did this at the 50th anniversary, but they didn't want us to do it this year because of security," said Richard Case, 83, of Las Vegas, Nev. "I remember the night of June 5th and 6th in 1944. When I jumped over the villages of Normandy, I was shaking like a leaf." During the D-Day jump itself 60 years ago, paratroopers of the U.S. Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne division were dropped behind the lines near Utah Beach shortly after midnight June 6. Their mission was to block German reinforcements, but they were badly scattered after landing. Fighting in small units, they harassed the German army units and linked up with the U.S. soldiers after they began moving inland after taking the Normandy beaches. In all, about 27,000 paratroopers participated. Ten years ago during the 50th D-Day anniversary celebrations, 41 former parachutists from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions also parachuted at Normandy in a nostalgic jump. The six, who were part of the 1994 event, were given permission to jump on the day after the official celebrations with the help of President Jacques Chirac's office. "Authorization reached us Sunday night very late," said Col. Pierre Collard, who organized the jump. "This was an immense pleasure because the six survivors will certainly be the last to jump here in Normandy."