Ralph King, a 94-year-old veteran with 21 years of military service, recently returned home to Hot Springs after traveling to Normandy, France, where he commemorated D-Day on its 75th anniversary alongside other veterans who served during that time.
King, who was brought to Normandy by the Best Defense Foundation, said the 10 days they spent in Normandy were very exciting.
"I enjoyed it very much -- seeing a place I hadn't seen before. See, I didn't jump there (in Normandy) ... I was a replacement and in England the day they jumped on (D-Day)," he said.
"I was interested in seeing the beaches and seeing what kind of terrain the (D-Day paratroopers) had to accomplish ... I got a good look at the terrain down there and saw what trouble they must have had."
King said he and the other veterans visiting Normandy were sightseeing and attending events from 8 a.m. to midnight most days.
"It was a lot of fun; it's hard to say what my favorite part was. I got to see the beaches, and then of course there was the parade," he said, noting he sat alongside many other veterans behind President Donald Trump as he gave a speech at the parade.
Another veteran, Tom Rice, 97, commemorated the day by making a tandem jump from an airplane as part of the festivities.
"They treated him like a king, they were giving him all the attention," King said. "They brought him up and sat him (front row at the parade) ... I didn't get a chance to talk to him ... I'd imagine he was pretty excited. I knew he was going to try to make another jump. He's 97 and he said he's going to be jumping until he's 100."
King said there was no possibility of him jumping along with Rice due to health reasons.
King served in the military from January 1943 to January 1964.
He said he started out driving tanks along with 12 of his classmates, but decided he didn't like it and wanted to start paratrooping in March 1944. He completed a total of 161 jumps in his paratrooping career.
"You don't know what you're getting into, just like the first jump you make. But once you make one, or at least this was my experience, it didn't bother you, you figure it's as safe as anything, and it is," he said. "Nothing should go wrong ... I found it interesting. I liked to jump."
He said he went on to end his military career in Special Forces, noting his military service has impacted who he is tremendously.
"I didn't have a higher education after high school, and of course I regretted it once I got put in a position where I had to make lesson plans and speak publicly -- because I was an introvert before ... Everyone has the same thing: they have to put their pants on one leg at a time, so that's my attitude now. It (the military) made me grow up ... I enjoyed the military."
Local on 06/15/2019