McGovern set to soar on 88th birthday: Former senator plans skydiving adventure Monday

[Douglas Carpenter]

Source: Argus Leader


As an Army Air Corps combat pilot during World War II, George McGovern never had to bail out of a crippled B-24 and never had to ask his crew to jump, either.

So Monday, his 88th birthday, the 1972 Democratic presidential candidate and former South Dakota senator is going to experience what he never did 65 years ago.

He's going to go skydiving, falling through the heavens above Brevard County near the Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida.

"I've always wondered what it was like," McGovern said by telephone Saturday. "So now I'm going to do it with nobody shooting at me."

About 9:30 a.m. EDT Monday, McGovern intends to make a tandem jump at the Skydive Space Center at Arthur Dunn Airpark in Titusville, Fla.

He acknowledged that at least part of his motivation is the jumps that his friend, former President George H.W. Bush, made from an airplane on Bush's 75th, 80th and 85th birthdays.

Bush was a Navy pilot in World War II.

"The fact that he did it was one of the things that fed my own interest," McGovern said. "He and I happen to be friends, even though we're in opposite parties."

Read more: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100718/NEWS/7180328/1001/news

[voteearlyvoteoften]

1. My first vote went to McGovern

Glad he has had a long and full life. A sentimental favorite, and a proud liberal.

[Dirigo]

2. Leaping Out Of A Plane At Age 88 Is Suicide And Not A Celebration

Dumb idea, Senator. You're to old and to valuable to liberalism than to end it all with rickety old bones jumping out of an airplane in celebration of your 88th birthday. You should remain on the ground with your feet firmly planted and watch others. You have to much to say, to much to live for and a national treasure to be recklessly endangering "public property"! Happy Birthday.

[harmonicon]

5. oh, yeah, that's showing some respect

Nothing says, "I respect you" like telling someone that you know better than they what they should do with their own life. This is especially true with old people; silly old people, thinking they can still make their own decisions. They're supposed to just be like statues, or at the least lap dogs.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. he is doing a tandem jump...

the person he is attached to will take the brunt of the shock. And even if this wasn't the case, so what? When you are on your deathbed, do you really want to be thinking of all those things you wanted to do, but were too scared too? He is 88, which means his children are grown and on their own, so he has no responsibility there. He has served our side for a long time, he owes us nothing. Quite the opposite, we owe him. Have fun, Senator- you deserve it.

[laylah]

8. What about HIS choice don't you understand?

If HE wants to do it, that is the key. I wish him an exhilarating experience. He was my first vote, also. You go, Sir, and enjoy the ride! :hug:

[Faygo Kid]

3. Mine too, and I worked for him in 1972

Fat lot of good that did.

[UTUSN]

4. Mine, too, or I don't remember if it was my first. But sorry to disagree, wish he hadn't run.

Somebody here posted that I should be proud to have voted for him. Uh, no, because he LOST and I and most of the country knew he was going to lose. In our system, losing doesn't ADVANCE any agenda.

Plus, he HID or at least muffled his military service and record. It would have ADDED appeal (VOTES) that a veteran and war hero was now opposing the war.

Back then I wrote him a letter saying that I totally admired him but that I didn't think he could win, that the top objective was to BEAT NIXON, and that I wished he would step aside in favor of anybody who had a better chance to BEAT NIXON. Who knows what staffer wrote the reply, but it was signed by him, saying thank-you-but-I-think-I-have-a-good-chance-and-I-hope-you-allow-me-blah-blah.

I wish I had kept the letter.

Now here he is not only thinking it fine to be friends with Poppy, but even copycatting that a-hole. Bleah!1

[dflprincess]

11. He never hid his military service

but, like many WWII vets, he didn't run around bragging about it either. His belief that his service was no more extraordinary than that of all the others who had served at that time and less so than those who didn't come home was pretty typical of that group of vets.

[Dennis Donovan]

7. That was the first campaign I ever worked on...

I was stuffing envelopes at 7:

[senseandsensibility]

9. Sorry, DouglasCarpenter!

I accidentally unrec'd this trying to rec it. Sheesh. I guess there's no way to undo it, but at least I can kick it. I'll always remember when I blew one of my rightwing relative's mind by telling him that McGovern was a WW11 war hero and married to the same woman for fifty years. He just couldn't believe it. He really freaked when I compared him to his hero Gingrich with his mulitiple failed marriages and lack of military service. I admire McGovern for many reasons, but I threw those particular facts in his face because I knew he would NEVER hear about them on FAUX news. Ha.

[denem]

10. Reliving the '72 campaign: Hope he doesn't fly like an Eagleton.

Then again, aybe Fritz could get involved, setting up an 'I-WILL-raise-your-taxes' crash pad to commemorate his own plunge in '84.

[gratuitous]

12. I hope a non-union worker packed his chute

After his ill-advised ads he recorded against the EFCA, I'm not so fond of Mr. McGovern.