By Kyle Coppola
Veteran Paratroopers Honor U.S. Airborne Forces with Lake Dora Jump
More than 180 veteran paratroopers took to the skies over Lake Dora this past weekend, making precision jumps into the water to honor past and present members of the United States Airborne Forces.
The event, hosted by the Phantom Airborne Brigade, drew a crowd of supporters and featured a moving display of patriotism, including several jumps performed by disabled veterans.
(Veteran Paratroopers make the jump into Lake Dora this weekend. Photo Credit – Chris Stephens.)
Local agencies played a critical role in ensuring safety throughout the event. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, local fire and EMS teams, Tavares police, and dozens of local boaters were on hand to support recovery efforts and maintain safety along the shoreline.
The next jump is scheduled for November 8 in Lake Eustis.
(Local law enforcement, divers, local boaters and EMS made sure the event ran smooth. Photo Credit – Chris Stephens.)
Organizers also extended their gratitude to all the local and visiting boaters, first responders, and city officials who helped recover the paratroopers from the water and ensured the event ran smoothly.
Photo Credit: Chris Stephens
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
