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TUCSON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords marked the third anniversary of her near-fatal gunshot wound to her head and the progress she has made since by skydiving. Giffords made the jump Wednesday, the anniversary of the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting, but the film was aired Thursday on NBC's "Today" show.
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"Southern Arizona will look beautiful & peaceful from the top of the sky," Giffords posted on her Twitter page Wednesday before she jumped. "I have the opportunity to do something I love: skydiving with my friend, former Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch."
Vice President Joe Biden called the former congresswoman from Arizona before her jump to wish her luck.
"Join me next time?" she tweeted after noting the call.
Giffords, 43, was gravely wounded in the mass shooting in front of a Tucson grocery store that killed six and injured 12 others. She has been working on her recovery since she resigned from Congress in 2012, and she and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, have been vocal advocates for stricter gun laws.
Kelly and Giffords' mom accompanied her to the jump site. Her tandem partner was another Navy SEAL.
