Good Iron makes Leap of Faith
Good Iron makes Leap of Faith
By Jerry W. Kram
Sometimes it takes a big first step to move on. Paul Good Iron took a step out of an airplane 13,000 feet above the ground in memory of his son, Cpl. Nathan J. Good Iron, who died in Afghanistan in 2006.
Good Iron made the parachute jump, his first ever, with the U.S. Army Gold Knights Parachute team as part of the Leap of Faith seminar in Homestead Air Force Base in Florida last month. The seminar was held for families who lost loved ones in combat and offered them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jump with the world famous Army paratroopers.
“They selected a handful of people to attend,” Good Iron said. “Some of the people didn’t jump for reasons known only to themselves and God. That Leap of Faith really is a leap of faith. It was good for me.”
Good Iron said leaping from the airplane and free falling towards the ground below was a profound experience. Although it only lasted for minutes, his mind raced as he thought about his past, his son, faith and the power of the experience.
“Less than a minute and your back on the ground, it felt like,” he said. “You think of a lot. You think about accidents where I should have been dead a few times, especially in Vietnam. When you are going down you get a good chance to hurry up and think.
