An 82-year-old Army veteran who regularly skydives with his local Starbucks baristas is making another jump this weekend in honor of Veteran's Day.
"When you go out of that plane and you're free falling at 120 miles per hour, the adrenaline -- it does something to the brain," retired Army Sgt. Maj. Victor Gelner said. "Nothing else matters in your mind. Any problems you may have, you don't even think about them."
Gelner experienced post-traumatic stress after his service in Vietnam.
Five years ago, he was at his local Starbucks in Colorado Springs, Colorado -- one of the bright spots of his day, Gelner said -- when he heard younger veterans discussing their own mental health struggles and how skydiving helped them.
Gelner tried it, and stopped at Starbucks afterward to tell store manager Jennifer Roxburgh how it made him feel better than he'd felt in a long time.
"You have got to try this," Gelner told her, and extended the invitation to other Starbucks baristas.
The story -- including the details and quotes above -- was shared this week by Starbucks Stories partners Jennifer Warnick and Joshua Trujillo. See their full story here and Trujillo's video below.
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