To honor 11 fallen U.S. Marines and National Guardsmen, while also raising money for a group to support them, a Wilmington man swam more than 12 miles around Wrightsville Beach on Saturday, Aug. 29, completing one of the longest known open swims around the beach.
While the route was originally planned for 11 miles, the current and winds stretched the swim out to nearly 12.6 miles. Although it was a noteworthy journey for the experienced long-distance swimmer, Henry Singletary stressed that the swim wasn’t for him, but for the fallen soldiers killed in a helicopter crash earlier this year.
“It’s not about me; it’s to honor the 11 men who were killed,” Singletary said. “We lost 11 really, really good men. I didn’t know them, but felt like I needed to do something for them.”
Singletary used the swim to raise money for the charity supporting the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). The MARSOC Foundation supports active duty and medically retired members of MARSOC military units.
Several of those members were killed in a March 10 helicopter crash near Pensacola, Fla., which took the lives of 11 total U.S. Marines and National Guardsmen. Singletary said the MARSOC Foundation helped family members of the victims with funeral expenses and other support after the accident.
Singletary said he was inspired to do the swim by his experience in a waterman survival class three year ago, when he was joined by four members of the Marine’s MARSOC group.
“They were a phenomenal group of men. They demonstrated the true sense of how Marines bring people together,” Singletary said. “They competed with each other, pushed each other and congratulated each other. I really respected those guys. It was a highlight of my life to take a class with such high-caliber people.”
Singletary’s swim started at Masons Inlet by Shell Island Resort at 7:15 a.m. After 6 hours, 20 minutes of swimming, he finished his journey in the open ocean near Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue lifeguard stand No. 1.
But while his swim is over, his mission to raise money for the MARSOC Foundation is not. Singletary said his goal was to raise $2,000 for the organization, but so far has brought in more than $4,000. And the fundraising web page will be open until December, giving him more time to raise money.
While he was the only one on Saturday to go the full course distance, which fell short of a complete circumnavigation of the Wrightsville Beach island, he wasn’t the only swimmer in the water on Saturday. Leanne Vella, Pam Allen and Maureen “Bean” Flynn also swam with Singletary for part of the course. Mike Treman, a local dentist, drove a support boat, while Mike Yonkers flanked Singletary in an ocean kayak.
Singletary’s MARSOC Foundation fundraising page is available here: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/HenrySingletary/miles-for-marsoc
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