Jenna Bush Hager Reflects on Grandpa George H.W. Bush's Love for Skydiving - As She Prepares for Her Own Jump

Jenna Bush Hager will be wheels up this Friday, June 11, to go skydiving in celebration of the life of her late grandpa and former President, George H.W. Bush.

The thrill-seeking sport held a cherished place in #41's heart, and that's why Bush Hager is ready to put on her brave face come Friday and jump out of a plane live on The TODAY Show in honor of what would have been the former President's 97th birthday on Saturday.

"When he was in the Navy, he hit his head when he jumped. He didn't have a clean jump, and he then was rescued. He was 19," Bush Hager shared on TODAY.com, noting that tragically some people in that plane didn't survive the flight. Bush Hager felt that her grandpa always felt regret about his jump, partly because others aboard died.

"He always wanted to relive it, to try it again and so he did, and he did again and again," Bush Hager continued, referencing H.W.'s penchant for marking his birthdays with skydive jumps over the years including for his 75th, 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays. (Speaking of which, check out this inspirational Austin woman who marked her 92nd birthday with an indoor skydive at iFly Austin.) "But I think there was something about seeing the world that way."

For Bush Hager, she's got some trepidation about the upcoming jump, even though she skydived when she was 18. "I've got three kids, and at 18 I was still terrified," she said.

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To see Bush Hager go skydiving, be sure to tune into TODAY with Hoda and Jenna this Friday at 10 a.m. and watch her take the jump live. We'll be cheering her on - though, admittedly, we'll be grateful to be doing so from the comfort of our couch.