Gabby Giffords Flies High on Tragic Anniversary
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spent Wednesday morning soaring through the clouds above the Grand Canyon State to mark the third anniversary of her survival of a horrific shooting.
Jared Lee Loughner shot the Arizona Democrat in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, at a Congress on Your Corner gathering in suburban Tucson, Ariz.
The still-recovering Giffords elected to mark the harrowing occasion Wednesday by plummeting from a perfectly good airplane while strapped to a close friend.
“I have the opportunity to do something I love: skydiving with my friend, former Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch,” she alerted the Twitterverse before heading out to the airfield.
Per her social media posts, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. dropped Giffords a line before takeoff.
“Thanks for the good luck call @VP @JoeBiden. Join me next time?” the thrill-seeking survivor teased VPOTUS.
Giffords’ spouse, Mark Kelly, seemed delighted by the airborne adventure, giddily sharing a snapshot of the missus just before she touched back down.
“Gabby landed beautifully. Happy she’s safe. So proud of her bravery,” the retired astronaut gushed online.
According to Reuters, Giffords’ skydiving escapade (not her first) will be featured on NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday.
