81-year-old Malcolm Jackson from Shanklin has done a tandem skydive 79 years to the day after his paratrooper father jumped into Nazi-occupied France during the D-Day landings.
Lance Corporal Frederick Jackson of the 7th Parachute Battalion was 1 of the brave men who landed in Normandy on 6th June 1944 and was killed at the age of 29 while fighting for control of key bridges in what was known as Operation Deadstick.
His son Malcolm had always wanted to do a parachute jump in tribute and he wore his father’s dog tags as he did so.
Malcolm’s daughter Michelle, who organised the trip for her daredevil father, said:
“I am so grateful to Chas McNeil and his fantastic team at Skydive IOW for making this life changing experience happen for my dad. He hopes his jump will keep the memory of those brave people in the war and also raise awareness for the charity Phoenix Heroes who support veterans with PTSD.”
She added:
“Watching the jump has given me a far greater understanding of just how brave my grandfather and those young guys were. They must have been so afraid because they didn’t just have to jump, they had to then go in to battle. Their actions changed how we live today.”
What a wonderful story. Congratulations to Malcolm, and well done to all those that made it possible for him to commemorate his father in this way.
Well done! Happy birthday!
Why no helmet on the old fella?