Man Celebrates 80th Birthday With 129th Parachute Jump

An Army veteran who made 128 parachute jumps during his military career marked his 80th birthday with his first jump in 45 years. Edward Gorre of Sacramento, California, a retired lieutenant colonel, said he made the tandem jump Sunday at Lodi Airport’s Parachute Center while his longtime companion, Marian Higdon, waited on the ground below. “That was beautiful, like old times,” Gorre said after landing safely on the ground from his 13,000-foot fall. However, he said there were some differences between “old times” and Sunday’s jump. For example, unlike during the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, no one was shooting at him this time.