Jane Scott Despite being a victim of polio as a small child, Jane Scott is a family general practitioner in Lubbock, TX. She has limited use of her left side, but with the help of braces and crutches she can navigate any dive boat. In fact, she took to diving on the 2011 trip to…
Gerard Miller Still active in the military, Gerard Miller suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm. Now, he lives with nerve damage from the elbow down. He joined the Dive Pirates as a 2011 recipient.
Larry O’Daniel Major Larry O’Daniel has served in the Navy during the Vietnam War era. More recently he served as a Military Policeman in the US Army. While in Iraq, a cancerous tumor required the removal of his leg. The surgery has not deterred Larry from motorcycling or diving as he finished his certification in…
Retired Airman Scott Palomino, hit by mortar fire in Iraq, lost one of his legs. However, Scott remains very active and pursues his college degree. He took immediately to diving and finished his certification in the Caymans in the Spring of 2005.
Katalyna (Kippa) Weil Injured as a teenager in a car accident, Katalyna (Kippa) Weil still lives a great life with her mother in Albuquerque, NM. They trained together, very excited to be part of the 2010 trip. Written in a book and a TV movie in the 1980’s, Kat’s story will live on. Kat loves…
Chris Hocker From the Salt Lake City, UT area Chris Hocker continues to be an enthusiastic addition to our crew. Ultimately, he overcame left side paralysis as a child to learn many activities which now includes scuba diving. Now, as part of our 2010 class, Chris promises to be on every trip from now on.
David Lofgren David Lofgren, a MP in the US Army, sustained an injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Originally from Utah, he spent time rehabilitating in San Antonio where he trained at Dive Masters of San Antonio. Now, he resides with his fiancee in Buffalo, NY. David has an infectious smile and is part of the…
A native of the Pittsburgh area, Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Hendrikson now lives there, attending nursing school. He has wanted to pursue after being a Navy Corpsman during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Justin always wanted to dive, therefore, Dive Pirates happily trained him after his injury in Iraq. He attended the class of 2010.
Keith Deutsch Sergeant Keith Deutsch sustained an injury in the US Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, that never slowed him down. In addition to scuba, he also snowboards near his home of Denver. The Go Be Divers in Denver trained him. He joined the class of 2010.
Paul Rauner Paul Rauner lost the use of his legs from a progressive neurological disease. However, that did not stop him from learning to dive at Husker Divers in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. Paul showed fearlessness during our trip in 2010 while diving the walls of Cayman Brac or inside the halls of the…