80 Years On... A Skytrain Lumbers Overhead Again

A handful of congressional Republican vets took a leap from a vintage C-47 Skytrain in Florida, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beach landings on D-Day.

A team of House Republicans was set to jump out of a C-47 Skytrain in commemoration of D-Day's 80th Anniversary, joined by a delegation to Normandy, France. The team completed a practice jump last April, getting current and consistent ahead of the big day. At the time, it raised some eyebrows since their side of the aisle only had a single-vote majority, and they could scarcely afford to lose one of their own should the jump go awry. In some small bout of consolation, the House has actually gotten younger, on average, down to just under 58 years and a far cry from the Senate's average of 65. All together, the jumpers will include a bevy of former servicemen who all leapt at the chance to make a true-to-life jump over Normandy.

The head appears to be California rep Darrell Issa, who has kept the wire abreast of the project, joined by Texas reps Ronny Jackson, Morgan Luttrell, and Dan Crenshaw; Georgian rep Rich McCormick; Tennessee rep Mark Green, Florida reps Cory Mills and Michael Waltz. The C-47 should have plenty of room left for more, but the team of 9 will be the only ones jumping as part of the actual remembrance event. 

FMI: www.issa.house.gov