I'm thinking that when you go skydiving, a lot of things are running through your head. Most of them, are probably things you're afraid of happening while you're up there.
Ya know, the chute not opening, crashing into a tree, whatever it might be.
But one of the last things going through your mind, is your instructor, who's attached to you and doing all of the work, suddenly not being able to do anything.
That happened Thursday in Columbia, SC as a soldier took his first leap out of a plane with his instructor, fell for about a minute, and suddenly, the instructor was dead.
George Steele, the instructor, apparently had a heart attack mid-flight. Soldier Pharr remembers saying how quiet it was up there and Steele responding "Welcome to my world." But then, that was it.
Pharr then remembered what he had seen on TV, and didn't panic, and lead him and his instructor down to the ground, 1/3 mile away from the plan. He tried to do CPR, but it was too late. Steele died in the sky, after what he estimated was over 8,000 jumps.
First of all, this is insane. I can't imagine being the soldier, or even being anyone else who had been in the plane or seen this happen! It's a crazy freak accident, and I feel terrible for anyone involved.
Second, how eerie are his last words?! "It's so quiet up here!" "Welcome to my world." Holy. Crap. I mean, I don't even need to explain the irony/eerie-ness of this, do I?
I feel for the guy's family, but also the soldier. I'm speechless.
I guess he won't be doing any more skydiving, though... At least, not any time soon.
love,
elizabethany
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