KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For many people heights have a dizzying effect. But for one British Army solider, standing atop tall buildings is an old hat.
On Monday, Major Alastair Macartney, 37, not only stood on top of the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum, but he jumped. He parachuted safely from the 217 feet high structure to raise awareness for members of the Armed Forces, past and present, 99 years after the beginning of World War I.
Teaming up with TEDxKC and the National World War I Museum, Macartney performed this never-before-attempted feat using a canopy emblazoned with a Poppy logo — the famous symbol from the Great War. On Tuesday evening he will talk about his experiences at TEDxKC; this year’s program theme is Defy Impossible.
Macartney is Team Leader of Jump4Heroes, Extreme Human Flight team for The Royal British Legion, the UK’s leading Armed Forces charity. Jump4Heroes undertake seemingly impossible stunts to raise awareness of the charity’s vital work providing direct, practical assistance to members of the Armed Forces community in need.
Major Macartney has served side by side with US Forces in Afghanistan. He is a World Record Holder, World Champion and a veteran of more than 7,000 parachute jumps.
BASE jumping is an acronym for the four main types of objects that enthusiasts can parachute from; Building, Antennae, Span (bridges) and Earth (cliffs).
For more information on Jump4Heroes please go to Jump4Heroes.com. To find out about The Royal British Legion please go to britishlegion.org.uk and for more information about the National World War I Museum, visit theworldwar.org.