“I always wanted to jump out of planes,” said Laycox, a former paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. “I’m excited to do it again.”
During his two years in the Army, Laycox completed more than 80 career dives.
But even as a civilian, he was drawn to the skies, jumping several times recreationally through the years.
A resident of Brookdale Englewood, Laycox occasionally reminisces with his housemates and facility staff about his jumping experiences, his love for the extreme sport palpable.
“James was often mentioning wanting to jump out of a plane again, but as he is nearly blind and has a prosthetic leg, it didn’t seem like a very real possibility,” said Brookdale Executive Director Jeanne Bernier.
Yet, Bernier knew about the Wish of a Lifetime program, a charitable affiliate of AARP, and thought there was no harm in trying to make Laycox’s dream a reality.
“I sent the form in on his behalf and someone from the program reached out about a week later,” Bernier said. “We pulled James out of an exercise class to tell him ... he was extremely excited; he’s been counting down the days.”
Laycox has a mellow temperament but a noticeable presence.
He’s often seen wearing his well-loved American flag Converse shoes and a pair of sunglasses, a matching American flag bandana wrapped around his prosthetic leg. Below the bandana, a decal of the 82nd Airborne Division logo is taped to the front of the prosthesis.
Laycox’s face lights up as he recollects his first jump from a plane.
“The plane was a C-119 boxcar; myself and the other guys began to line up to make our first jump and I wound up being the first one in line,” Laycox said. “The safety officer told us not to look down, but of course I did. Then, as soon as he said go, out the plane I went.”
Joyce Jacoby, fellow Brookdale resident, is a close friend of Laycox.
“We’ve sat at the same dining table every since we met two years ago,” she said. “We kid around a lot together; it’s never that serious and we don’t get mad at each other.”
Jacoby is glad to see her friend’s wish come true.
“I thought he was crazy, but I’m happy for him,” she said.
Originally scheduled for Thursday, Laycox’s final jump was postponed to June 5 due to inclement weather.
“It’s been six years since my last dive, what’s a couple more weeks?” Laycox laughed.
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