Jenna Bush Hagertook the plunge in honor of her late grandfather, former PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush.
Bush Hager, 39, is referring to the jump Bush made to celebrate his 90th birthday back in 2014 — which she looks back on fondly in an essay posted toToday’s website Thursday.
According to Bush Hager, her grandfather “had made the decision to jump as a tribute to his years as a pilot during WWII. In fact, the first time he jumped out of an airplane he was 19 years old, and it was 1944.”
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George H. W. Bush’s 2004 skydive.U.S. Army/Texas A&M University via Getty Images
Jenna Bush Hager.Today Show Twitter
“His plane was shot down over the Pacific, so he was forced to jump,” she explained. “He hit his head on the plane but was later rescued. Two of the other members of his team didn’t live. Hetold me once that he jumps for them. He jumped because he lived.”
“If he can do it, I can too,” she added.
Subsequent footage then sawBush Hager take the plunge from 10,000 feetin the air, landing at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Jenna Bush Hager’s skydive.Today Show Twitter
Jenna Bush Hager and George H. W. Bush.ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images
RELATED VIDEO: 41st President George H. W. Bush Skydives for 90th Birthday
Bush’s 2014 skydive marked his eighth jump, and came at a time when the former president could no longer use his legs due to a form of parkinsonism.
In her Thursday essay, Bush Hager recalled her grandpa once telling her, " ‘Jenna, don’t be scared to be in the ring, and don’t forget to enjoy every moment — to live every moment. I miss being an active part of the game.’ "
She concluded, “And so today, seven years after the last time he jumped, I jump for him. And I will jump because I’min the game, enjoying every moment, and feeling closer to him in the heavens.”
source: people.com
