Someone once defined military veterans as those who recognize that love of country is the willingness to write a blank check, payable to the United States Of America for an amount up to the last full measure of devotion: life itself.
On August 16, 1960, Joe Kittinger wrote that check by risking his life when he ascended in a helium balloon to an altitude of 102,800 feet — almost twenty miles. Wearing only a thin pressure suit, he stepped out of the gondola, and in seconds his body accelerated to 714 miles per hour. After free falling for almost five minutes, Kittinger’s parachute opened at 14,000 feet, and he descended to a New Mexico desert without injury. This brave man put his life on the line to prove that astronauts can survive the harshness of space with just a pressure suit, and that crews can eject from military aircraft at extreme altitudes and survive.
To this day, Kittinger's two world records — the highest parachute jump, and the only man to break the sound barrier without an aircraft — still stand. Now residing in Florida, he recalled some of his jump’s highlights in a magazine interview:
“All went well until the parachute reached 40,000 feet. Then the glove on my right hand failed to inflate, but I was determined to complete the mission, despite the possibility of losing the hand. It swelled to twice its size, and I lost use of it for the duration of the flight. “I was humbled at the awe and majesty of space, by the certainty that He who made all this also made me. The hostility of space was frightening. There is nothing familiar about it — nothing human. I had no communication with the ground, the temperature was 100 degrees below zero, and there was no air. I kept reminding myself that I was serving America, and I would not to let her down.
“I prayed, Lord, take care of me, and jumped. At 90,000 feet, my body accelerated to 714 miles per hour, but there was no sense of speed because there was nothing visual, nothing to zoom past.
“For one horrifying moment, I realized that my life and the mission’s success depended solely on the parachute. Thank God, it opened, and I landed 13 minutes later. My right hand hurt for a while, but there was no lasting damage.”
After the interview, Kittinger was asked, “Why did you do this?” His answer was the same that any veteran would have given. “I didn’t do it for personal glory; I did if for future aircrews and astronauts, who in turn will take risks as dangerous as mine for their country. I risked my life for America, and had she called me to accept the challenge of other dangerous missions, I would have done so. I love this country, and I am proud to be a veteran of the United States military.”
The American people and we veterans thank you, Colonel Kittinger, for writing the blank check.
Jimmy Reed is an Oxford, Mississippi resident, Ole Miss and Delta State University alumnus, Vietnam Era Army Veteran, former Mississippi Delta cotton farmer and ginner, author, and retired college teacher.
This story is a selection from Jimmy Reed’s latest book, entitled The Jaybird Tales.
Copies, including personalized autographs, can be reserved by notifying the author via email (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).
