Jim “The Shark” Dreyer wants to honor both America’s 250th birthday and combat veterans with an ambitious swim in August.
Dreyer has plans to swim 22 miles in Lake Michigan while towing 250 cannonballs. The cannonballs in the swim will then be sold, with the funds being used to build a combat veterans memorial in Whitehall, Michigan.
“I don’t see how we can celebrate 250 years of freedom without also honoring those who fought to win and preserve that freedom,” Dreyer said. “That is what this swim and memorial are all about. Cannonballs represent the weight of war experienced by our troops in combat and also symbolize the weight many Veterans continue to endure after returning to civilian life. Twenty-two miles was chosen for the distance, as 22 is the number most associated with the estimated number of Veterans who die by suicide daily due to post-traumatic stress.”
The swim is planned for Aug. 7, but it depends on weather conditions.
Dreyer wants to arrive after the completion of his swim at Goodrich Park in Whitehall during a festival, and plans to pull 249 cannonballs in two dinghies. He will carry one cannonball on his back in honor of his late father, CPL Jack Dreyer, a World War II veteran.
The total weight of the cannonballs is expected to be 1,500 pounds. Any surplus from cannonball sales will be used to support veterans’ organizations in the area.
“Cannonballs mounted on this one-of-a-kind U.S. 250th memorial may be purchased to forever honor loved ones who sacrificed to serve our country in combat,” Dreyer said. “Donors will receive a photo file of their mounted cannonball and accompanying plaque, which is numbered so they may easily locate it when visiting the memorial. Donors may also submit a photo and write a tribute to their honoree for memorial visitors to view when scanning a QR code.”
For more information on the swim, visit https://www.jimthesharkdreyer.com/cannonball-memorial-swim.
Pretty impressive for a man in his 60s.
Jack LaLanne