Sponsored Veteran Spotlight: Gabi Cha

Provided by Citizen Watch.

Former Combat Medic Found Jump “Therapeutic”

It wasn’t Gabi Cha’s first time hurtling through the air as a skydiver, but it was her first time doing so alongside a group of similarly experienced veterans. 

“Being around veterans that understand the journey is such a comforting feeling,” Gabi revealed in advance of her jump. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people, and words cannot express the close connection we formed while we were together in this group.”

Gabi was a combat medic in the U.S. Army for sixteen years, serving two tours in Iraq in 2006 and 2008 before being medically retired in 2020. Today, she plans to apply her military experience as a combat medic and her civilian experience as a licensed practical nurse to pursue a degree in healthcare management. Despite her limited physical abilities, Gabi stays active and loves working out and pursuing her new interest in adapted sports. 

In approaching her jump with Jump for Valor, Gabi shared that this wasn’t her first time skydiving. 

“I was stoked because I had gone skydiving before, but even so, I was super nervous and excited at the same time,” Gabi said. “I loved that with Jump for Valor, my instructor didn’t completely limit me and knew how to involve me in turns and other maneuvers in the air.”

But it’s about more than just the surreal views she enjoyed as she leaped from the plane, she continued.

“Yes, the jump was thrilling, but most of all, I found it therapeutic, and it reminded me so much of what I was missing about the military,” Gabi shared. “In one moment, everything seems to happen so fast – it’s just a blur! But once the canopy opens and you’re able to see everything below you, you can take a breath and relax again.”

About Jump for Valor x Citizen Watch

Gabi was able to experience her tandem jump with Jump for Valor thanks to sponsorship from Citizen Watch. She, along with other veterans, participated in the Jump for Valor Boogie at Skydive Suffolk in Suffolk, Virginia, over Veterans Day Weekend 2021. As part of the program, ten veteran participants received free tandem skydives and complementary Citizen Watch timepieces courtesy of Citizen Watch.