"Golden Knight" Soldier killed in plane crash in Georgia

Army soldier among 4 dead when skydiving plane crashes at Georgia airport
FOX News
By Travis Fedschun
August 26, 2018

A U.S. Army soldier was among four people killed when a plane carrying a group of skydivers crashed at a Georgia airport on Saturday, officials said.

Aliaksandr "Slex" Bahrytsevich was off duty when he died in the plane crash, the U.S. Army said. (US Army)

The crash happened around 2 p.m. at the East Georgia Regional Airport in Swainsboro, located about 90 miles southeast of Macon, FOX54 reported.

Aliaksandr "Slex" Bahrytsevich, 31, was off-duty when he died, but served most recently as a demonstrator on the Golden Knights Black Demonstration Team, the post said. He is survived by his mother, Nattallia, and father, Mikhail.
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Salt Lake VA therapist got veteran to jump from perfectly good plane

VA therapist helps dying Veteran complete bucket list
VAntage Point US Department of Veterans Affairs
Jill Atwood
January 18, 2018

The sky is the limit

With help from VA Recreation Therapist Lili Sotolong, left, Veteran Kenneth Augustus was able to scratch skydiving from his bucket list.

Army Veteran Kenneth Augustus loved adventure. He loved to rock climb, and scuba dive, and always had a longing for falling hundreds of feet per second from an airplane.

VA Salt Lake City Recreation Therapist Lili Sotolong knew skydiving was a lofty goal considering his condition, but she was determined to make that dream come true.

“I got a call out of the blue to come work with this Veteran,” Lili said. “I was told he only had a few months to live but when I got there he was beyond positive, and so easy to work with. He had made peace with what was happening to him and was really preparing himself for the inevitable; he just had some things he wanted to experience first.”

Lili made several calls and finally arranged the jump through two very generous community partners: Skydive Utah and the Elks Lodge. It was go time!

“He got to jump with his brother and his son, and they wanted me to do it with them! We had a group hug and were all fist-pumping in the plane prior to the jump. It really was an extraordinary experience.”
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Can't Find Good News? Are You Looking For It?

Editing videos and trying to play catchup, but wanted to share these stories I read earlier today. So many people think that there are no good news stories, but this should prove that if they don't find them, they must not be looking for them.

Florida military monument gives families place to think of relatives

"The monument in the heart of Green Cove Springs will ensure that the memories of people like Coleman will live forever. The $82,000 sculpture was built with money raised from individuals and charitable organizations with no financial assistance from the government."

Soldier's suicide leaves a family with questions 

"The truth is Bauders, 25, killed himself at Al Asad Air Base less than a month after arriving for his first tour in Iraq. Horton believes the way he was memorialized, and the way his death was investigated, reveal that while the military has put an emphasis on combating veteran suicides, it's still struggling to change the cultural stigma around mental health for active soldiers."

95-year-old man skydives in Suffolk, breaks record as oldest diver

"Norwood Thomas set a record Sunday while skydiving. Two days after his 95th birthday, Thomas became the oldest person to jump out of a plane at Skydive Suffolk." #inspirational

Army vet Travis Mills tackles new challenge: reviving another Maine resort

"Now, they’ve set goals for its expansion. They’re acquiring new watercraft for the rental fleet, including pontoon boats, canoes and stand-up paddleboards. They hope to add a playground for children and resources for ice fishing, and eventually open a waterfront restaurant. They’ve also renovated the front office and begun stocking it with concessions such as beer, wine and custom-roasted coffee, as well as a bigger array of fishing tackle." #inspirational

Party in Denham Springs celebrates day Iraq War veteran fought death and won

Ten years ago in combat in Iraq, Vaughn came incredibly close to dying, but didn’t. As remarkable as his survival and recovery were, his Army buddies weren't surprised. "If anybody's going to get shot in the face and live to tell about it, it's going to be Chance ... Vaughn," said Cody Chandler, of Kaufman, Texas, a former comrade in arms who attended the party." #inspirational

Vietnam veteran gets homecoming he's always wanted with Queen City Honor Flight

"There was no race in foxholes, he tells me, only brotherhood. 'When you in combat, it doesn't make any difference if the man beside you is black, white, Hispanic or what. You better have his back and you better have his back. And that's all there is to it.'" #inspirational

For one father, new Global War on Terrorism memorial in Georgia triggers emotions

"John Henderson Sr. paused, then kissed the index finger on his right hand before running the finger across the name, starting with the “Jr.” at the end and working right to left."
"It was like he was going backward — a mental and emotional rewind after more than a dozen years of pain."

Skydiving Veterans Shatter 4 World Records

Military veterans smash skydiving world records in the Himalayas
FOX News
By Allison Barrie
Published December 02, 2016

The team smashed not just one world record – but four world records.

A team of brave U.S. military veterans headed into the Himalayas armed with skill, one helicopter and a whole lot of state-of-the-art gear last month – and left the mountains with four skydiving world records.

Military Free Fall, or MFF, is a way for forces to insert military personnel, gear and even canines. Military parachutists jump from a fixed wing aircraft or a helicopter at high altitudes, then then use a parachute to travel through the air to land at a pre-determined location.

This expedition aimed to push the limits for military free fall and make the seemingly impossible possible. The team headed deep into the Everest region of the Himalayas to attempt landings on some of the highest mountains in the world.

Putting that in context, the highest airport in the United States is at Leadville, Colorado, at 9,334 feet elevation. The first series of expedition jumps were at Syangboche, Nepal, at about 12,400 feet.

Former Navy SEAL Fred Williams handpicked his team for the extreme, unique environment. His goal was to assemble the most experienced team possible - from parachutists and Sherpa guides through to oxygen experts, emergency medicine and a helicopter pilot.
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Widow Celebrates Life of Husband By Taking Another Plunge

Her Husband Was Killed in Afghanistan 
Patch 
By TANYA SNYDER (Patch Staff) 
May 28, 2016

She Went Skydiving to Celebrate Him. Alicia Dickinson is part of a new generation of young military widows who are having to rewrite the script of their lives alone. Arlington, VA

ARLINGTON, VA — The woman walking in front of Alicia Dickinson at Arlington Cemetery that September day in 2012 was old. She was also there to bury her husband.

At age 30, Alicia Dickinson was a widow.

“I remember walking behind her, thinking, ‘This is what it’s supposed to be,’” Dickinson said. “Not me.”

Her husband, Scott Dickinson, died August 10, 2012, in what’s called a “green on blue” attack, shot by an Afghan soldier the U.S. forces were training. He was due to come home in 10 days. He was just 29 years old.

“Going to Arlington, you’re reminded of how many young men and women gave their lives and how many young men and women they were married to and now were left to face a new life that you don’t expect at such a young age,” Alicia Dickinson said in an interview.

She’s part of the American Widow Project, a mutual support organization for a new generation of military widows. “There should be a different term when you’re so young,” Dickinson said. “’Widow’ just seems so old.”
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Veterans Treated to Skydiving in DeLand

Veterans gather at Skydive DeLand for Wounded Warrior Weekend
Veterans gather at Skydive DeLand to find thrills, friendship
Daytona Beach News Journal
By Jim Haug
Published: Friday, April 24, 2015

News-Journal/PETER BAUER Carlos Negran, at right, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq, is honored during opening ceremonies during Defending Warrior Weekend at Skydive DeLand, in DeLand, on Friday, April 24, 2015.

Cole Wildey works as a bouncer in downtown DeLand, but bouncing mid-air from an airplane had been an experience that eluded him until Friday at Skydive DeLand.

Wildey, who called himself an “adrenaline junkie,” said he was grateful because to never sky-dive in a training center like DeLand is like “living next to the ocean and never going to the beach.”
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Air Force veteran still jumping out of planes at 80

Veteran skydives for 80th birthday
The Dispatch
By Nash Dunn
June 27, 2013

Calvin Mullineaux waited until his 80th birthday to jump out of a plane.

Mullineaux, who spent close to 20 years flying planes in the Air Force, said he never received the opportunity to bail out of an aircraft or take a training jump.

"I used to tell paratroopers and some of my fellow servicemen, 'I couldn't understand why anyone would ever want to leave a perfectly good airplane,'" said Mullineaux, who lives off Swicegood Road near Churchland.

However, Mullineaux threw any of his apprehensions out of the window earlier this year when he went skydiving in Salisbury on April 20, his birthday.
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This hilarious video uses Rocky "Gonna Fly Now" while they are walking to the plane!