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Benavente jumps for the veterans
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Posted on Oct 25 1999
Never mind if it was not a perfect landing because his partner skydiver Frank Loch tripped when he touched the ground.
But House Speaker Diego T. Benavente was the happiest man when he landed safely on the track and field ground of Ada Gym Saturday at around 4:00 p.m..
“I was nervous the whole time. As I was boarding, I was not sure I could do it. But I had to do it because I already made a commitment,” he said.
Benavente, a self-confessed acrophobic, participated in the Tandem Skydive, jumping from 9,000 feet to raise funds for the U.S. Armed Forces Veterans Association.
The association raised more than the target $3,000 to pay for the fare and lodging of the group’s over 50 members who will go to Rota to celebrate Veterans Day next month, according to Mac Chargualaf, head of the organizing committee.
A group of well-wishers composed of family members and friends anxiously waited for the plane and sky divers to jump. And then one by one, they started coming out of the plane.
Benavente’s wife Vicky who was almost crying was just too glad it was over. The previous night, she tried to stop her husband from pushing through.
Would he dare jump again? “Why not? But it has to be for a good cause,” said Benavente.
