Former President Will Celebrate 80th Birthday With "Elective" Parachute Jump

George "Poppy" Bush is no stranger to skydiving. In fact, he made his first jump in 1944 at the tender age of 20. He called it a "non-elective" jump, after his Navy torpedo plane was shot out from under him by groundfire as he was flying operations in support of US troops on the Japanese-held island of ChiChi Jima in the Pacific.

Speaking at dedication ceremonies for the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola (FL) over the weekend, Bush told the audience he's jumped twice since then -- in 1997 and on his 75th birthday in 1999. Now, the former president plans to jump out of a perfectly good airplane once again -- this year, for his 80th birthday.

The former president demurred when he was called a hero after the 1944 bail-out. "I've never understood that if you get shot down why that makes you a hero. I mean, the guys that didn't are the fellows who were doing the good flying."

The museum event raised thousands of dollars toward its $36 million goal.

FMI: www.naval.aviation.museum/intro.html