“So Brave”: 105-Year-Old Man Goes Skydiving for the First Time on His Birthday, Internet Applauds

• Navy veteran Spurgeon 'Butch' Carlson completed his first-ever tandem skydive at the age of 105 in Albion, New York
• Carlson was cheered on by family, friends and supporters as he jumped out of a plane to mark his milestone birthday
• The skydive came a year after Butch went on his first-ever horseback ride for his 104th birthday, alongside his brother who is 99

Spurgeon 'Butch' Carlson, a 105-year-old Navy veteran from Albion, New York, crossed something extraordinary off his bucket list on 21 July 2026. He went skydiving for the very first time, and he did it to celebrate his birthday.

Carlson completed a tandem jump, landing to a crowd of cheering family members, friends and well-wishers gathered to witness the occasion. Before the jump, he told reporters he felt no fear at all. The jump was a success, and he said:

"I'm not nervous. Not shaky or anything, you know, looking forward to that jump."

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A man who never stops celebrating

What made the moment even more remarkable was the context. Carlson has made a habit of marking each birthday with a first-time adventure. At 104, he went on his debut horseback ride, joined by his younger brother, who is 99 years old.

The video of the skydive, published by ABC News, quickly spread across social media, with people across the world responding with joy, admiration and a healthy dose of humour.

Watch the TikTok video below:

The internet reacts to Butch

People online could not get enough of Carlson's story, leaving words of encouragement under the @abcnews page:

Fire-Lord Oppai said:

"His little brother who's only 99. ☠️"

Mariiam wrote:

"My fall risk resident does this daily with no gear."

Bryonna shared:

"To have 99 years with your sibling, wow what a blessing."

Skye commented:

"I had a friend who died skydiving... I will never do it. Unless I get to 105, then I'm down, because I'm probably going to die soon anyway."

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Divinetasties said:

"If he can do it anyone can do it."

Athena asked:

"I wonder what he will do next year for his birthday. 🎂"

JustO wrote:

"105 and 99, his family has elite genes. Survived through the Great Depression, WW2, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm, Ukraine and now Iran. This man has seen it all."

Gary and friends added:

"Just lost my uncle who was a WW2 veteran, he was 103, so happy to see this man living his best life."

3 Other Briefly New stories about skydiving

• A skydiving aircraft carrying a pilot and 11 passengers crashed shortly after take-off from Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri, killing everyone on board. Read more: https://briefly.co.za/people/family-relationships/244300-brutal-12-killed-skydiving-plane-crashes-airport-manager-traumatised/
• A video of a woman attempting to float inside an indoor skydiving simulator has been circulating on social media. Read more: https://briefly.co.za/people/125762-video-shows-woman-fail-master-indoor-skydive-simulator-mzansi-laughs-out-loud/
• World champion wingsuit skydiver Pierre Wolnik has passed away after encountering an unfortunate incident in France. Read more: https://briefly.co.za/sports/235417-pierre-wolnik-world-champion-skydiver-passes-parachute-failure-france/

Source: Briefly News