Service
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.
Private 1st Class Alex Nicoll Alex Nicoll was a PFC in the USMC and described his job as “kicking in doors”. While deployed to Fallujah, he lost part of his leg in an injury. He did so well in scuba and liked the island so much, don’t be surprised if he shows up next year…
Sergeant Nathan Gonzalez, a retired marine, had a duty to protect US Embassies abroad. Nate loved diving then and after an automobile accident he thought he would never dive again. He is now a happy dive pirate living in Boerne, TX and went to Cayman Brac in 2008.
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
Eric Alva is retired from serving in the US Marine Corps. The first day of the Iraq war, he lost a leg to a land mine. He has been recognized for his bravery by People Magazine and has raised more than $5000 for Dive Pirates. An avid, long distance runner, Eric also adds his college…