By MARY SHINN | The Gazette
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Akin carried an estimated 10,000 paratroopers as a pilot, and when he skydived at 99 years old over the summer it was in their honor.
“I thought, ‘Boy, I hope I got the guts to do it,’” he said.
The somersault in the air, the 40 seconds of free fall and hitting 120 mph — he loved all of it. He hopes to do it again to mark his 100th birthday in April.