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Skydive Palatka’s Art Shaffer, right, looks on as World War II veteran James “Pee Wee” Martin pins jump wings on the coat of his son, Roger Martin, Oct. 31.
Art Shaffer was enjoying life at a high altitude Thursday morning, although it was not the kind of altitude to which he is more accustomed.
Shaffer was at a home he recently purchased near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, which is nestled in the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains.
“It’s a 1940s house we purchased in August that we’re renovating,” Shaffer said. “I enjoy woodworking and this house is full of it. It’s one of those things I like to do.”
But while Shaffer is enjoying the fall mountain views this week, what he truly enjoys doing is flying and sailing through the sky at a much higher altitude. Normally, Shaffer skydives at altitudes of 13,500 feet and then parachutes safely to the ground. Just hearing Shaffer talk about it makes me want to learn to fly.
Since making his first skydiving jump in 1985, Shaffer said he has more recorded more than 17,000 jumps. He loves jumping and enjoys jumping with his son, Shane. But of those thousands of jumps, his latest jump was one of the most memorable.
He performed a tandem jump with 99-year-old World War II veteran and paratrooper James “Pee Wee” Martin on Saturday, landing safely at Kay Larkin Field at Palatka Municipal Airport.
It was not his first jump with a World War II veteran. In June 2019, Shaffer jumped with then-97-year-old World War II veteran Tom Rice over the skies of Carentan, France. Shaffer and Rice made the jump to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings – D-Day. On June 6, 1944, Rice jumped alongside his U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division squad mates.
“We landed about a mile and a half from where he actually landed that night,” Shaffer said of the jump with Rice. “I went back to Holland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. I took Pee Wee on a jump and we actually landed in the same drop zone that he landed on.
“We jumped out of the same type of airplane they did in 1944. That even ramps up what I did with Pee Wee the other day.”
Shaffer’s jump with Martin last weekend was part of Operation Black Cat IV, which was hosted at the airport by Round Canopy Parachuting Team – USA and Skydive Palatka to honor Vietnam veterans and all paratroopers.
Shaffer is the owner of Skydive Palatka, purchasing it in 2005. He has been involved with the full-service skydive training center since its inception in 1995. Skydive Palatka celebrated its 25th anniversary in August.
“I was born in Gainesville and started jumping in 1985,” said Shaffer. “At some point I ended up at the drop zone in Palatka and got involved with the original owner of Skydive Palatka. The person who owned it wanted to get out of the business.
“In 2005, I had just retired from 20 years at Anheuser-Busch. I had always wanted to do it and because I was such a part of the place. I ended up taking my retirement and buying the business. It has a special place in my heart.”
Jumping with veterans also has a special place in Shaffer’s heart. And that experience pre-dates his first experience of jumping with World War II veterans last year.
Shaffer said he has jumped with veterans for many years. One of the events he participates in each year is in DeLand, where he jumps with disabled veterans.
Shaffer, who lives in Winter Park, said military ties run deep in his family. His father, Michael, was a prisoner of war in the Philippines during World War II. His grandfather flew for the French Air Force in World War I.
“The ties to these veterans run deep also,” Shaffer said. “It brings a lot of joy to me and it’s amazing to sit and listen to these guys talk.
“With these older guys, I don’t feel like I’m giving anything back. I’m just helping them fulfill dreams of doing a jump again. With the younger veterans and disabled veterans, that’s more about helping these guys with all the problems they have returning from combat.”
Shaffer said Palatka-based Round Canopy Parachuting Team – USA is dedicated to helping disabled veterans. Bill Markham is president of the group. Skydive Palatka works toward that effort, too. It’s an admirable service, especially as Veterans Day nears.
“RCPT’s mission is helping veterans who are having a lot of problems,” Shaffer said. “There’s so many of them that we’ve helped out. We’ve given a lot of time, energy and money to make sure these guys have a venue to help overcome some of their issues. That’s really what it’s all about.
“When RCPT calls and asks for something, we’re behind them 100% with whatever support I can give them. It’s so important to help the veterans nowadays and it’s just as important to make sure the stories of Pee Wee and Tom get told. They only have so many years left and they talk about how they feel about America and how things have changed so much for what they fought for. It’s just amazing and it really stirs your heart. It’s pretty emotional to listen to them talk about it.”
Shaffer said Martin is one of the most humble World War II veterans he has met. Martin visited Palatka from Ohio and was joined by several family members.
“He very seldom talks about what he actually did in combat,” Shaffer said. “He talks about being a good person, what it takes in being a leader and the secrets to long life. I really enjoyed talking to him.”
Shaffer first made jumps in Normandy in 2014 as a re-enactor, flying the same route soldiers did on D-Day. He said his emotions were hard to put into words when thinking about the young paratroopers who knew they might not even survive the flight and jump before reaching the ground and having to fight.
Many of them didn’t survive. The Normandy American Cemetery in France honors more than 9,300 American troops who died in Europe during World War II.
“Anybody who doesn’t realize what the USA has done for the world, all they have to do is visit the cemetery in Normandy,” Shaffer said. “It’s a very moving experience to stand there among all those graves.”
That’s what helped make Shaffer’s jump with Martin on Saturday special. Strapped together, the two men jumped from a Huey helicopter at 7,500 feet.
Shaffer has also jumped with quadriplegic veterans, with a system that allows them to sit in his lap as they land.
Shaffer said he practices with veterans on having them remember to get their feet up.
“I’m willing to take a pretty hard hit when we land,” Shaffer said. “Pee Wee tried to take a step or two when we landed, so we stumbled a little bit.
“But I feel so privileged to be able to have this experience with some of these guys. It tugs at everything America is about in what guys like this were willing to do for us.”
Wayne Smith is editor of the Palatka Daily News. His email is wsmith@palatkadailynews.com.