A D Day Veteran Jumps Out Of A Plane Aged 89 – A Must Watch Video…

, In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, a D-Day veteran has parachuted into the field in Normandy that he landed in 70 years ago.

John James McDonald Hutton, known colloquially as Jock, was just 19 when he parachuted into a field near Ranville, Normandy. Now 89, the Scotsman has commemorated the efforts of his 13th Battalion the Parachute Regiment within the British 6th Airborne Division by recreating the same parachute jump.

While Jock jumped tandem with Col. Sergeant Michael Blanchard of the Parachute Regiment, he was perfectly capable of jumping solo. Having never forgotten his training, Jock had been carrying out solo jumps continuously throughout his life, with his most recent jumps in the Netherlands last year.

The task given to his Battalion on the dawn of D-Day was to seize or destroy bridges, in order to prevent a German counter-thrust against the forces that would later land. D-Day had begun around an hour before Jock parachuted to the ground and joined the battle.

After the recreated jump, Jock was greeted by The Prince of Wales, where they had an informal chat in the field. This is the first major event to mark the anniversary. A trooper who is still 19 at heart, Jock landed with the grace and precision that he would have 70 years ago. One of the very few remaining veterans, Jock is an upstanding example of a gentleman who is committed and passionate, and a bit of a bad-ass.