WWII vet, 82, will make D-Day anniversary jump
By Ron Simon
Telegraph-Forum staff


PERRYSVILLE -- Ken Kasse has his wings and is headed for Normandy.
The 82-year-old Perrys-ville resident and World War II Airborne veteran earned his wings last week after training in Oklahoma.
"I'm headed for Normandy," he said. "I hope to jump there with the Liberty Jump Team on the anniversary of D-Day in June."
Kasse said there are 24 people on the team and he is the only World War II veteran.
He said it took two jumps with a T-10 military style round parachute to qualify.
The jumps were made from a small Cessna 206 -- which was a challenge to exit.
"I'm not as agile as I used to be," he said. "I had to tell the jumpmaster to give me a good push."
Kasse, who was with the 17th Airborne Division during WW II, never jumped at Normandy.
He did make a combat jump in Operation Varsity.
"We landed on top of the German SS," he said. "I went in with the British 6th Airborne Division."
He did take part in the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings in 1994 by making a jump.
"I missed the 60th in 2004 due to cancer," he said.
Always active, Kasse attended an airborne reunion in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and was voted there as the 17th Airborne Man of the Year.


Telegraph Forum - www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com - Bucyrus, OH

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

good on you mate hope you have the time of your life
i salute you
best krieg

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

" Airborne Forever "

I'll be in Normandy to see him jump , massive respect to to anyone who has done a combat jump,


Paul

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Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

I'm sure glad this vet can still do it. One of my former jump instructors who is now 68 and a Vietnam War vet is no longer allowed to jump. The docs said that Mort Freedman had made so many jumps (over a thousand at the very least) that his knees couldn't take them anymore.

Hats off Mr Kasse! Way to go ! This is one of the nicest things I've read these last days. It must be his dream!

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Kinda funny that he is wearing a set of modern BDUs and helmet while the younger guy behind him is wearing a WWII set.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

Good for him, go for it.

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AMEN to that Bro! Im glad to read that he will be making this jump. I have nothing but tons of respect and awe, for these Gents.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

HOAAAH AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY!