Seaman Leland Walker sustained an injury in 1997 in basic training. Leland was certified on the Brac trip in 2007. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his sister, Muzette, who was also one of his dive buddies along with Ollie Waters and Stacey Minton. Leland never quits smiling while he dives.
Natalie Mink is a high school student in Houston, Texas. She has cerebral palsy and hopes to attend Texas A&M University when she graduates. Meanwhile, she trained with her dad, Dave Mink and Scuba Bob Knapick. Natalie is a very big Pirate fan and was certified at the Brac 2007 trip. It was a goal she…
Lance Corporal Sean Barr sustained an injury in 1994. Subsequently, he attended Texas A&M where he earned a degree in Ocean Engineering. Now, a Senior Project Engineer in Subsea Construction at Acergy, Sean was certified at the Cayman Brac trip in 2007. His dive buddies were Jennifer Reynolds, Mark Scott and Barbara Thompson.
Lance Corporal Shawn Unruh was a marine in the Gulf War. He had to retire after his inury in a one-car accident in 1995. Shawn and his wife attended the 2006 trip to the Bahamas and has continued diving with Dive Pirates both in 2007 and 2008
Costume designer in Chicago, Reveca Torres, was in an automobile accident in 1995 resulting in a spinal cord injury. In addition to her work, she is active with the Shriners Hospital in Chicago. She traveled with us to dive in 2006 in the Bahamas.
Brandon Sommerville received his injury in a high school wrestling accident in 2003. However, that has never slowed him down. He is very active and is attending college in Indiana. He traveled with Dive Pirates to the Bahamas in 2006.
Chris Pulley was diagnosed with a spinal muscular atrophy disease at the age of 12. However, now he is leading a full life including a BBA in Finance from the University of North Texas. He works as a Financial Analyst at Bank of America in Charlotte, NC. Now his life also includes scuba diving. Chris…
Bob Pierce Bob Pierce is an insurance agent in Corrales, NM and is a 1977 graduate of the University of New Mexico. His injury comes from a skiing accident in 2000 but he continues with skiing today in addition to tennis, hand cycling and now scuba. Bob dived with Dive Pirates in 2006.
Edie Guess grew up in Abilene, TX, suffering an injury in high school in an automobile accident. She went on to college at Texas Tech and now resides in Albuquerque, NM. She has three girls and is very active in their education and the community. Edie joined us in 2006 on our trip to the…
Major Dan Gade became an Open Water Diver in September 2006. He trained with his wife, Wendy. However, hehad to wait until after a stint in the White House liaising for veterans. Then, the birth of their twin boys held him up a bit. However, he got to take his first trip in 2009. An…