BOWDOINHAM, MAINE — Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush has marked his 90th birthday with a skydive in Kennebunkport, Maine, Thursday with a group of U.S. Army veterans.
Bush landed "softly" AP reported, away from the area where reporters stood to report on the event.
"He had a big smile for the crowd. You could tell he was exhilarated,'' Diana Untermeyer, a family friend told AP.
Back safely on the ground, the former president was greeted with a kiss from wife, Barbara and a hug from son George.
"It's a wonderful day in Maine — in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump," the 41st U.S. president said before jumping. He first jumped from an aircraft almost 70 years ago when he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
Bush, the father of 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush, has been celebrating birthdays with occasional skydives for years and marked his 75th and 80th birthdays with jumps.
In 2009, when he jumped to mark his 85th birthday, his son then-President Bush said: "I think he's a nut to jump."
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.
