Sailor Holds Guinness World Record

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Guinness World Records has authenticated a Sailor assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has indeed smashed a world record, Aug. 13.

Information Systems Technician 1st Class Ernie Torres broke the Guinness Book of World Records 2013 for "Most Pine Boards Broken in Free-fall," by hand-smashing 12 boards while falling, the time of exiting the aircraft and pulling the parachute, out of an airplane from 16,000 feet at around 120 mph.

For Torres breaking a world record is definitely a conversation piece.

"Some of my friends and family are really excited about it," said Torres. "I know it makes a great conversation piece when you know someone who has done something well known."
 
Jamie Panas, public relations manager, Guinness World Records North America, Inc., congratulated Torres on making "one's mark in history".
 

"On behalf of Guinness World Records, we are pleased to congratulate Ernie Torres on his 'officially amazing' record achievement," said Panas. "Being a record holder means being number one at whatever one's talent might be, as well as solidifying one's mark in history."
 
Torres interest in breaking a world record wasn't purely for his enjoyment of sky diving, but rather to raise awareness of the Wounded Warrior Project.

"I know the news of the record went worldwide," said Torres. "My goal was to raise awareness for the organization through the attempt and now record breaking event."
 
As an accelerated free-fall instructor with nine years of experience and 700 jumps under his belt Torres added that safety was paramount and his first priority.

"Many think that jumping out of a plane is crazy enough without involving the board breaking but they should know that safety is always the number one priority in any skydiving operation," said Torres who thanked everyone involved in making the record breaking jump a reality. "There was an extensive process of planning the jump to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Operational Risk Management is not just a Navy thing and it's not just for work. Everyone got back to the ground safely, with no injuries and now I can proudly say I hold a Guinness World Record."
 
USS Abraham Lincoln is currently undergoing a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
 
USS Abraham Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz class to undergo a RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation's defense.