I have just joined the forum and wanted to stop in on this thread as I am the swimmer. I am a retired Navy Rescue Swimmer with a few years added and a few broken bits but still able to do something.
The Fitch Foundation is an ALL generation Veteran assist group. They help any vet, any disability get back into something athletic regardless of when they became disabled. In their B-Bold project, they help vets and civilians who have prosthetics get back into sports. The idea is to get folks active once more which goes a long way to reduce the risk of suicide. I have lost four buddies in the last 2 years to suicide and know 3 others (2 in my family) who were, thankfully, not successful.
If any of you are in Virginia this coming July, my first public swim will be from Tim's Rivershore Restaurant in Dumfries to Tim's II in Fairview Beach, VA; 17 miles away. There is a party the night before in Dumfries with a pier-side sleep over, swim at 0900 and a party afterwards at Tim's II.