Eyes on the sky for retired 86-year-old paratrooper taking in Skyhawks show
It's a bit flashier than he's used to, but retired paratrooper Douglas Parmiter is keen to catch the Canadian Skyhawks in action.
Parmiter, 86, enlisted Aug. 17, 1950, and became a paratrooper with the First Batallion Royal Canadian Regiment, as well as serving in the Korean War.
When he found out the Canadian Skyhawks were coming to Paradise for a demonstration, he had to be there, even if it meant keeping his feet on the ground.
"I think I've got enough guts today. I'm in that mood right now, but I don't know, when you get upstairs there?" Parmiter said.
"I can't even jump off a chair anymore."
It's been a few years since Parmiter jumped out of an airplane; the last time he remembers taking the leap was back in the 1950s for Queen Elizabeth, before she was queen.
"I'd love to go up today but I don't know if they'd have to push me out," he said.
"These guys are the real McCoy. A lot of training for them to do what they do. I admire it."
'It's really an honour'
While the jump at Paradise Field didn't go ahead Monday as planned due to weather, and was rescheduled to Tuesday at 6 p.m., Parmiter said he wanted to be there in at least part of his uniform as a tribute.
"I did this in memory of our boys that passed on," he said.
"I'm in touch with a few from our Korea vets association … our numbers are right down. I'll be 87, so I say I'm lucky to get this far," he said, laughing.
For the Skyhawks, it's a privilege to have veterans like Parmiter attend their shows as they travel across Canada.
"It's really an honour," said Canadian Skyhawks media relations officer Derek Reid.
Jumps today are a little different than they were 60 years ago, though.
"This gentleman has a little more of a, I would say, tactical parachuting experience," said Reid.
"The Skyhawks focus on a little bit more of a demonstration with red and white canopies, not quite so tactical."
Tossing yourself out of a plane
The one thing that remains the same is the basics of it: hurling one's body out of a plane.
"I think a lot of the fundamental skills are the same … so that even when your brain is saying, 'this is crazy, I'm jumping out of a plane,' it just comes down to muscle memory," said Reid.
"You're anxious to see what it's all about, after going through all the training, and then once you do it the first time, you know what it's all about," added Parmiter.
"Scared? I'd say yes, many times, but then once you're out, you're all right, you know."
Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
With files from Fred Hutton and the St. John's Morning Show
