Medical Condition
Travis Clennon After four tours of duty, Staff Sergeant Travis Clennon sustained an injury on his last tour, Afghanistan, by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Considered an incomplete paraplegic, Travis remains quite mobile with the help of leg braces. Therefore, he thoroughly enjoyed the 2011 “Brac with Friends” tour as a Dive Pirate.
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…
Matthew Arcadi An amazing athlete, Matthew Arcadi now adds scuba to the list of sports he plays. After an injury in a car accident, he wanted a sport he could share with his wife. Together, they learned at Woods & Water Scuba in the Tampa, FL area. He joined us in class of 2010.
Stanley Vigil Stanley Vigil was injured in an unusual surfing accident that led to paralysis from the waist down. He still loves the water and was very excited to learn to dive. He will return in 2010 with his wife, Cheryl, because she sees how fun it is and wants in on the party.
Jake Hipps, Marine Corps Private, served during the evacuation of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam Conflict. He sustained an gunshot wound after returning home. Now a paraplegic, he works at the Buffalo, NY area VA helping other vets. Active in many sports he could one day be on a Wheaties Box.
Eric Lantz Eric Lantz, a graduate of Texas A&M University, works as a physical therapist at Memorial Hermann TIRR in Houston, TX. A paraplegic for over 10 years, Eric takes on as many challenges as he can and he loves scuba. He joined us for the trip to Cayman Brac in 2008.
Kelly Knight is a paraplegic that lives in Corpus Christi, TX and is an interior designer. Kelly loves diving now and is a complete addict since she joined our trip to Cayman Brac in 2008.
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…
Jim Boomer suffered an injury from a 2002 dirt bike incident and became a paraplegic as a result. He is infectiously optimistic and has a great time scuba diving. He is attending college in his hometown of Glendale, AZ. Jim came with Dive Pirates in 2006 to the Bahamas.