Several groups of lawmakers will make the trip to France this week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. One small group of congressmen plan to skydive over Mont Saint-Michel on Friday. 

More than a dozen senators will travel to France. Speaker Johnson canceled House votes on Thursday so that House members could make the trip. 

One House Democrat and nine Republicans, all veterans, will jump out of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, an 81-year-old vintage World War II plane. Rep. Michael Waltz is a retired Green Beret. He is taking the lead in this adventure. Besides Waltz, the others are Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, a retired Army Ranger, and Republican Reps. Mark Green, Dan Crenshaw, Rich McCormick, Derrick Van Orden, Keith Self, Darrell Issa, Ronny Jackson and Cory Mills.

This isn't the type of skydive usually seen from commercial aircraft. 

Unlike commercial skydiving, it’s not a leisurely jaunt with scenic views and a soft landing. Total time to the earth from the military transport planes, which were commonly used by Allied forces in World War II, is just over a minute. And the landing often comes with a jolt to the back and knees, according to Florida Republican Rep. Michael Waltz.

“From a military standpoint, the longer you’re sitting up there floating under a parachute, the more vulnerable you are to get shot. So you want to be as low to the ground as possible so that you float to the ground as fast as possible,” said Waltz, a retired Green Beret who, along with several of his House colleagues, will jump from a plane over France on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“You don’t land softly, like when you see a skydiver just kind of tiptoe right onto the ground. You hit pretty hard,” Waltz said. 

A large congressional delegation will go to France for a multiday commemoration. They will visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. This is where about 2,500 Americans who died during the D-Day assault are buried. The congress members will also pay tribute to the remaining living veterans who served in World War II. 

“This is the 80th anniversary. That means the youngest World War II veteran that we know of that will be there is 96. The oldest is 107. Several have died just since they signed up with American Airlines to go. So it’s important to honor them to keep their legacy alive,” Waltz said.

Rep. Waltz is an experienced parachutist, with 70-80 jumps under his belt. Rep. Crow jumped over Normandy once before. He did so with Waltz in 2019, the 75th anniversary of D-Day. 

Some members did a practice jump on April 5 in Florida. Rep. Waltz led them through safety precautions and brushed up on their skills. They will be jumping about a second apart from each other, so landing correctly and controlling their bodies in the air is important. It will be low altitude so they have to be aware of activating the reserve parachute if there are any midair mishaps. 

France's first lady Brigitte Macron and other French officials met the 48 American veterans from around the United States as they arrived at Deauville-Normandy Airport. The trip was organized by a non-profit, Best Defense Foundation. 

Local school children held up a poster that read, "To our forever heroes: Thank you." The children sang the French and U.S. national anthems.

"Welcome to France," Brigitte Macron said, speaking in English, expressing her "deepest respect" and "deepest love" to the veterans.

"You fought for our freedom. You have always decided to educate the younger generation so that we never forget. Thank you for your commitment, thank you for the sacrifices you have made."

These stories are so good. God bless our veterans.