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| - Former paratrooper Tom Rice did return to Normandy on June 6, 2019, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, to re-create his jump. However, most online posts recounting the story fail to note the year the re-creation took place, instead implying that it was a recent event. Rice died in 2022 at the age of 101.
On June 6, 2024, an X user posted a video of a 97-year-old World War II veteran returning to Normandy to recreate his D-Day jump.
The footage was uploaded on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and was captioned: "Incredible! 97-year-old WW2 paratrooper vet returns to Normandy to recreate his D-Day jump."
Although the X post did not specify when the clip was recorded, the fact it was uploaded on the 80th anniversary of the Allied operation, and that a subsequent post said, "He's definitely still got it," suggests the person who posted it believed the video was made on June 6, 2024.
Other X users also appeared to believe it was from the 80th-anniversary commemorations. One wrote: "97-year old WW2 paratrooper still vacations in France the old-fashioned way."
"This 97 year old man is still jumping out of airplanes," another said.
A third added: "Old man loved it. Hes still in good shape. Moving around great, and his mind is still sharp it seems, joking around. Amazing for someone pushing a full century."
However, although the video was real and did show veteran paratrooper Sgt. Tom Rice returning to Normandy to recreate his D-Day landing, the footage was actually recorded on June 6, 2019 — the 75th anniversary of the operation, which is why we have rated this claim as "Outdated."
Numerous credible news outlets reported Rice's 75th anniversary jump and included parts of the footage in their coverage.
Getty also published multiple photos from the event.
Rice, of the 501st Regiment of the 101st Airborne, died on Nov. 17, 2022, according to several news reports.
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