Texas Governor Skydives Alongside 106-Year-Old WWII Veteran

Texas Gov Greg Abbott has gone skydiving with a 106-year-old World War II veteran, in what his office said was a tribute to “the service and sacrifice of US military veterans.”

Abbott and Alfred Blaschke, a wartime aircraft engineer, did separate tandem jumps from 8,500 feet. It was the governor’s first time skydiving. Blaschke skydived to mark his 100th birthday in 2017, and set a world record for the oldest man to skydive in 2020, aged 103 years and 180 days. Rut Linnea Ingegard Larsson is currently listed as the oldest woman to make a skydive, having pulled off the feat in 2022 aged 103 years and 259 days.

A Chicago woman, Dorothy Hoffner, made a tandem jump this year aged 104, shortly before her death. Her jump had yet to be certified.

Blaschke’s latest jump, however, if certified, would see him take the outright record for oldest tandem skydive.

“I am proud to share my first skydiving jump with Al Blaschke to honor veterans, like him, who helped safeguard the freedoms and promise of our country for generations of Americans,” Abbott said at Skydive Spaceland San Marcos, in Fentress, Texas. Credit: Office of the Texas Governor via Storyful

Video transcript

- It's a big right turn, OK?

GREG ABBOTT: There we go.

- Beautiful. All right, now left.

- [CHEERS]

- Look at that!

- [CHEERS]

- Woo! Yes, you made it!

- It's a big right turn, OK?

GREG ABBOTT: There we go.

- Beautiful. All right, now left.

- [CHEERS]

- Look at that!

- [CHEERS]

- Woo! Yes, you made it!