A 97-year-old World War II veteran recreated his drop behind enemy lines from 75-years ago as part of the celebration of the anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. When Tom Rice climbed into a C-47 in 1944, he was just 22-years-old and not prepared for what was about to happen.
His mission with the US Army's 101st Airborne Division's 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was to land in the French town of Carentan and secure strategic infrastructure and protect the troops leading the invasion of Normandy Beach. The mission did not go smoothly, as the C-47 came under heavy fire.
"I was thinking, 'let's get the hell out of here,' because we were under fire," Rice told CNN. "All the thoughts about what we're going to do, how we're going to do it just passed through my mind so quickly, and I was so focused on getting out of that aircraft."
When he jumped from the C-47, it was going so fast that his arm got stuck in the doorway and his fellow soldiers had to free him.
"I saw a hurricane of fire coming up from German positions below," said Rice. "This is all microseconds that is going by my mind so fast that I'm not even wondering. I don't know I left, I left sort of the microsecond activity behind and thinking of something else."
Once he started falling, he realized he was off course and had overshot the landing zone. He managed to meet up with a few other troops, and they made the dangerous trek to Carentan.
75 years later, Rice was able to enjoy the jump into Normandy.
"It went perfect, perfect jump," he said. "I feel great. I'd go up and do it all again."
He says that he wants to return to Normandy next year and plans to do the jump again.
Photo: Getty Images