The US Marine Corps has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the toughest soldiers on the planet.
But be that as it may, these soldiers are still human who hold the same fears, phobias, and insecurities that any normal person has.
What sets them apart though is the mental toughness that their training instills because it gives them the confidence to believe that they are up to any task that is asked of them however demanding it may be.
Watch this man overcome his fear for heights by skydiving below.
[rumble video_id=v5klmx domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
For a 23-year-old Eriq Adame, that task involved overcoming his extremely strong fear of heights. US Marine, he may be, but Eriq’s phobia is so intense that he has never even been on a roller coaster. But unlike most of us who have phobias, he decided to do something about it and that involved facing his fear head-on in typical Marine fashion.
Eriq signed up for a tandem jump over Jamul, California, that saw him jumping out of a perfectly good plane 12,500 feet. Hilarious footage taken from a handheld camera shows Eriq screaming his lungs out the first few seconds he’s out of the plane and generally looking terrified.
After a few thousand feet tough, Eriq’s face slackens and his eyes roll back in his head in a faint. He soon wakes up only to start screaming again just before his instructor pulls the cord to open the parachute.
Now slowed down, Eriq pauses to take in the view before passing out again.
Eriq’s instructor, apparently oblivious, smiles and waves to the camera as Eriq comes to for the second time.
Eriq rips off his goggles to better appreciate the view but faints for the third time.
The hapless Marine wakes up for the third time to hear his instructor asking, “Here we are, 3,000 feet. How you feeling?”, to which Eriq responds, “I feel good.”
That prompts the instructor to execute a corkscrew which only causes Eriq to scream, “Stop, stop, stop, stop. Don’t do that s**t,” as he closes his eyes.
The pair land safely though, to Eriq’s huge relief.
With a smile on his face, Eriq later said: “Once I was on the ground, I was just thankful I was alive and that I didn’t wet my pants.
“I’m still trying to get over my fear by going skydiving again.
“I was tired of letting my fear get the best of me and stopping me from living to the fullest.
“I was trying not to think going up to the plane, but once I got on, I started freaking out and just thought about the money I already wasted up to that point and that I just needed to jump.”
Replaced!