Navy Seal 'Leap Frogs' Make Boston 4th Of July Skydive
BOSTON (CBS) – This year's 4th of July celebration in Boston was kicked off with Navy Seals making an impressive skydiving entrance to the celebration.
With hundreds of thousands of people in Boston to celebrate the 4th of July, six members of the Navy's "Leap Frog" team parachuted from one mile above the ground and landed in the area of the Esplanade on Saturday evening. The team included Victor Maldanado, T.J. Amdah, James Woods, Brandon Peterson, Tim Holland and Trevor Thompson.
This is the first time the Navy Seals Leap Frogs have participated in Boston's 4th of July festivities.
A Navy Seal wore a helmet cam to capture their jump.
"We jumped out at 5,000 feet. It was an honor to parade the flag around (and) seeing the city of Boston," said one Navy Seal.
They also carried a large American flag over the city.
Navy Seal Victor Maldanado said it was awesome holding the flag during the jump.
"...Flying over one of the best cities in America? You can't beat that," he said.
Another Navy Seal added "We did a little crew formation, and then we wanted to give the crowd a little show so we swooped right over them."
The Navy Seal are trained in several areas including combat diving, weapons, special ops and parachuting.
In free fall, skydivers can reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.
Navy Seal James Woods says it was an honor being able to participate in the jump and Fourth of July celebration.
It will be a busy weekend for the Leap Frog team members. On Friday night they jumped into Fenway Park prior to the Red Sox game versus the Houston Astros.
The Leap Frogs' 4th of July jump will be featured in the WBZ-TV broadcast of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, which airs from 8-11 p.m.'
"Not only are we demonstrating the excellence and precision of our parachutes, but we'll be jumping in (Saturday) for the 4th of July with a 1,500 square foot American flag. That's just going to be an amazing sight, seeing that flying over Boston," said PO T.J. Amdahl on Friday before the Leap Frogs made their jump into Fenway Park.
For more information on the Leap Frogs, visit the organization's website.