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Navy SEAL Foundation to Host Winter Swim for Families of Fallen Heroes

Frigid swim aims to raise money to support Navy SEALs

U.S. Navy SEALs
U.S. Navy SEALs / AP
September 11, 2014

The Navy SEAL Foundation plans to host a winter charity swim in Tampa Bay, Fla., with proceeds benefiting the special forces community and the families of our fallen heroes.

Swimmers will join Wes Schaeffer in a dive into the chilly waters off Florida on Jan. 11, 2015, to help support the men and women that have devoted their lives to protecting the public.

The 51 degrees happens Jan. 11, 2015. That’s when this crazy dude and I (and 150 other supporters of our Navy SEALs) will voluntarily enter the wintry water of Tampa Bay to swim 3.1 miles to raise awareness and money for the Navy SEAL Foundation, NavySEALFoundation.org.

The foundation provides immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare Community and its families.

Since the war on terror began, many of America's soldiers have fallen in the line of duty--some even before they made it through training.

Their website reports that since March 4, 2002, 91 SEALs have fallen. Of those 91 that gave their all for America, 18 died in training.

Let those numbers sink in for a moment. The training our Navy SEALs endure is so rigorous, so realistic, so intense, and so dangerous, that nearly 20 percent of all casualties in the Teams occur in training.

Why do they train so hard? Because the threat against our way of life is that real, and defending it demands this type of training. SEALs are currently deployed in more than 30 nations performing missions of strategic importance to the United States such as counterterrorism and anti-piracy operations, direct action missions, hostage rescues, and special reconnaissance operations.

The families that have lost loved ones in the line of duty are in need of assistance and support.

These men left families behind. To be exact, the Navy SEAL Foundation has committed to supporting the 88 surviving families, 57 spouses, and 76 children until they no longer need our support. These are families that need to know their loss was not in vain.

That is why this 44-year-old Zoomie has been training since late July to complete this swim with my USAFA classmate. It’s also why I have committed to raising five times the amount they ask from each swimmer to raise in support of these 88 families.

Schaeffer is attempting to raise far more money than he has been asked for to show how much he values the work of our Navy SEALs.

So please follow this link and donate as much as you can. Then share this story and this link with everyone on your email list and in your social media circles.

Published under: Navy SEALs