Age is just a number if you are determined. Ralph Mayville, a great grandfather from Windsor, Canada, is a living example of this. A veteran paratrooper, Ralph, at the age of 92, realised his dream by taking the extreme decision of skydiving and flaunting his wings and uniform with full pride.
Ralph is a veteran of the Canadian and American commando paratrooper unit. He got trained as paratrooper in the Second World War, and worked as a member of First Special Service Forces which was also known as Devil’s Brigade or Black Devil. Post his training on ground, Ralph aspired to leave a mark in the ongoing World War 2 but sadly before, he could make his maiden jump the war got over as both Germany and Japan surrendered. And so, though Ralph had his Paratrooper Jump Wings he refused to wear them as he wanted to earn his medal.
Now, after 69 years of the Second World War, he completed his mission of jumping from a plane. However, for achieving his age old dream he went through many hurdles. Alongside his age being a barrier, his family too opposed the jump as they were concerned about his health, the Metro News reports.
It was his meeting with Cathy Moczka, the co-ordinator for the First Special Service Force Association Committee, which turned out to be the major reason for achieving his feat. Cathy along with his fellow Canadian comrades supported and motivated Ralph in his endeavour. His skydiving requests were rejected by seven skydiving clubs and finally after many phone calls he got a nod from Skydive Burnaby situated in Wainfleet, southwest of Niagara Falls. With the legal procedure getting complete Ralph Mayville, the man of severe perseverance, was all set with his instructor to enjoy the first flight of his life.
Ralph and his instructor jumped from 14,000 feet in Wainfleet, Ontario, near the Niagara Falls. After completing the jump when asked how it was, an elated Ralph replied – “It was so beautiful”. And with that amazing determination, another Black Devil, Canadian veteran pinned the Jump Wings to his uniform. It was all smiles at the end with Ralph proudly flaunting his shiny medal on his chest.