George HW Bush, Robin Meade Going Skydiving To Celebrate Bush's 85th Birthday

George H.W. Bush will celebrate his 85th birthday Friday afternoon with another bout of skydiving. In a twist, this year Bush Sr., a veteran skydiver who made his first jump as a 20-year-old Navy pilot in World War II who was shot down over the Pacific, will make the jump in tandem with HLN anchor Robin Meade. Meade will interview Bush Sr. before they make the jump.

Press release from HLN is below.

HLN (formerly Headline News) today announced that Robin Meade, anchor of Morning Express with Robin Meade, will participate in a tandem parachute jump with President George H. W. Bush this Friday, June 12. The U.S. Army Parachute Team, the "Golden Knights," will be conducting the jump, which will take place in Kennebunkport, Maine, as family and friends gather to observe the former president's 85th birthday.

"It's not every day one gets the chance to tandem jump alongside a former president, with the Army's Golden Knights; it is both a thrill and an honor," commented Meade. "Anchoring four hours of live television is an adrenaline rush most days, but this tandem jump with President Bush will be a new level of excitement, I'm sure."

CNN, HLN, and CNN.com will all feature coverage of the jump, including an exclusive interview Meade will conduct with former President Bush before they embark on the jump.

Comments

[sufi66]

I hope he's careful. I remember the last times he fell on his head. He couldn't remember anything about Iran-Contra and called Clarence Thomas the most qualified man he could find.

[Bramble8]

Thats appropriate, not!

[Rynox]

HW... Still a playa. I say that because I heard he was quite a player in his college days.

[Pimpinnati]

Can I go diving with Robin Meade too? Muff diving that is ...

[Tunghoy]

Exactly the comment I was going to make!

[ticonderoga]

He wants her to pull his "rip cord" on the way down.

[Bcasey11]

the only reason G B senior is in the news is because he's one of our gods

[Colmore]

Why not have Jr. pilot the plane? He flew during Viet Nam, and it cost a fortune for his training. The only other experience he had had since then was on the "Mission Accomplished" flight, remember? Chris Matthews LOVES Jr. in his flight suit, so that would be an added bonus.

[Colmore]

Maybe Laura could DRIVE them to the airport!!

[Travis bdboy]

Will they be wearing a parachute?

[atomic]

S P L A T !

[SmolderingRuin]

Watch the brittle bones, old fellow.

[DrBillo1]

I bet this guy has had a lot of affairs no one knows of---or maybe Barb knows-

[ticonderoga]

In the Bu$h Crime Family...C­a$h trumps loyalty every time.

[LMPE]

Careful, lady. That guy'll probably try to touch you inappropriately.

[twisted-european]

GHWB - the new Hefner? ;-)

[BambooHarvester]

... just like the way ya bailed out on ya crew in WW II.
~ Huh . . .

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

Wikipedia:
"... Bush's aircraft was hit by flak and his engine caught on fire. Despite his plane being on fire, Bush completed his attack and released bombs over his target, scoring several damaging hits. With his engine afire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft; the other man's parachute did not open. It has not been determined which man bailed out with Bush as both Delaney and White were killed as a result of the battle. Bush waited for four hours in an inflated raft, while several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback. For the next month he remained on the Finback, and participated in the rescue of other pilots."

Regardless of his politics, he seems to me to have been a courageous young man (unlike his cowardly, chickenhawk son). Skydivingwise, he seems to me to be a courageous old man. Give credit where credit is due.

[nolocontendre]

I've always found it curious that after bailing out of a burning plane, one would take up the sport of jumping out of air-worthy planes.

[Mikeeee]

He's going to be babysat again. It's like being taken for a ride in Nascar car, it only counts if he's doing the driving. What a fraud. Of course cnn and fox will be all over this about what a hero he is, of course they're frauds as well.

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

No, Mikeeee, it's not like being taken for a ride in a NASCAR car. Did you ever try it? No, I didn't think so. I've got 700 jumps (none of them tandem; started out on static line before freefall). My hat's off to any 85-year-old dude who'll jump out of an airplane, even strapped to a Golden Knight. (Hey, that doesn't mean I agree with him politically, much less with his feckless offspring.­)

Have you heard that Raul Castro is only acting as a caretaker leader, until Fidel hands over the presidency to his idiot son, Fidel W. Castro?

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

"Bush Sr., a veteran skydiver who made his first jump as a 20-year-old Navy pilot in World War II who was shot down over the Pacific, will make the jump in tandem with HLN anchor Robin Meade."

Pretty slack reporting there. First, he's only a "veteran skydiver" in that he's a combat veteran and he's made some skydives (three; an emergency bailout is not considered a "skydive".­) Three skydives doesn't make you a "veteran skydiver" in the sense of "experienced skydiver" -- it makes you a raw beginner. By all accounts he performed pretty well on two of them and screwed up a bit on the other -- not too bad for a novice.

Second, he won't "make the jump in tandem with ... Robin Meade." He'll make the jump in tandem with a Golden Knight instructor; on the same jump run, Robin Meade will jump in tandem with another Golden Knight instructor.