Army Swim & Dive continues to draw inspiration from 4 fallen graduates of the United States Military Academy who have either died in combat during GWOT or those that graduated from 2001 to the present who died well before their time; David Bernstein (Died October 18, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom), Dennis Zilinski (Died November 19, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom), Byron Plapp (Died on March 27, 2015 after a hard-fought battle with lymphoma), and Kyle Petroskey (Died on April 2, 2015 after his battle with cancer). The team and its alumni continue to honor these great men and their sacrifice through multiple events throughout the year.
Two companies, Paintru (Veteran Owned) and Steel Hearts (Non-profit) set out in August to commission a professional portrait of every graduate KIA during the Global War on Terror, as well as men such as Byron and Kyle who displayed enormous courage during his fight against cancer. Commissioned artists will produce works of art that we hope will be cherished by the family and passed down for generations to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0elLU_z2gQ (Paintru x Steel Hearts intro video)
Army Swim & Dive and their alumni wish to continue to honor the families of these men by raising funds for the portraits of the fallen Swim & Dive Old Grads to be delivered to their families. Please read the links below and visit @armywp_swimdive on Instagram for videos from current team captains on David, Dennis, and Byron and their legacies. https://youtu.be/PdGYP__KpyE
Please visit the links below for articles on the lives of these 4 men.
Byron
https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/army-swimmer-and-stoic-leader-byron-plapps-legacy-lives-on/
David
Dennis
Any excess funds raised will be contributed to the larger effort by Paintru and Steel Hearts
Organizzatore
Steel Hearts Inc.
Beneficiario