GI Go Fund and Hundreds of Navy SEALs Honor 20th Anniversary of 9/11 in 3rd Annual Navy SEAL Hudson River Swim

(Liberty State Park, NJ) GI Go Fund was proud to host its 3rd annual Navy SEAL Hudson River Swim and Run on August 7th, 2021. During the event, a team of over 140 US Navy SEALs, fellow veterans, military supporters, and first responders from the FDNY, NYPD, PAPD, and more swimming across the Hudson River.

Swimmers raised funds for GI Go Fund to support veterans and first responders affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including ending veteran homelessness and providing job training and entrepreneurial support. This year's swim raised over $275,000, a record for this event.

This year's Hudson River Swim had added significance, as the team of Navy SEALs, the elite military division that took down Osama Bin Laden, swam to the site of the former twin towers to honor the 20th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. In addition, the swim recognized the 10th anniversary of Extortion 17, which involved the tragic loss of a US CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying 38 servicemembers and crew, resulting in the worst loss of US military life in a single incident in the Afghanistan campaign.

Adding to the event's significance this year is that all US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by August 31st. Swimmers honored all the US service members who died in both the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts during the past 20 years.

The event began at the Empty Sky Memorial in Jersey City's Liberty State Park. Participants ran southbound along the boardwalk to Black Tom Island at the south end of the park carrying American Flags. Before they arrived at Black Tom Island, they performed 100 push-ups in honor of America's freedom and diversity before jumping in the water.

Along their swim route, the SEALs made stops near the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to perform 100 push-ups in honor of America's liberties and 22 pull-ups to recognize 22 veterans who commit suicide every day. The event concluded at the 9/11 Memorial's South Pool in lower Manhattan to honor the victims of 9/11 and all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country in the wars that followed.

This year, funds raised during the event went to benefit GI Go Fund efforts in:

• COVID-19 Pandemic: Active duty military personnel, veterans called back into service, and emergency first responders have been serving with doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have supported vaccination and testing centers, setting up field hospitals, and more. We will raise money to help provide health care and financial support to these heroes and their loved ones. Funds will also go towards our online workforce development platforms, Empire Vets and Garden State Vets, each of which connects veterans in NY and NJ to employment positions created since the pandemic began.

• Ending veteran homelessness: There are currently over 4,000 homeless veterans in the United States, including over 800 in the New York/New Jersey area. Many have recently lost their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will work on housing all these veterans and bringing an end to veteran homelessness through programs such as our annual Stand Down for Homeless Veterans and our Veteran Supply Depot Program to provide clothing and services to homeless veterans in need.

• Job training and entrepreneurial support: We have developed the first and only Veteran Small Business Incubator for veteran entrepreneurs to grow their business. In conjunction with our Incubator, GI Go Fund has created an incredible space that utilizes state-of-the-art technology. Funds will provide veterans with these services to ensure that they can find work in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's event is sponsored by: Sunbelt Rentals, McCarter & English, Devin & Cindy Wenig, JobPath, Empire Vets, Encore Global, Bloomberg Philanthropies, DonJon Marine, Brian Bill Foundation, The Beard Club, Operation Deep Blue, Sungalife, High Castle Strategy, Ironman, MASF, CSI Security & Electric Inc., NW Recovery, Dragon Fly Elite, Templar Titan, Virsig, Trident Nutrition, Frog Fuel, Built 2 Evolve, Victory Coffees, Acument Performance Group, Soland Group, Bubs Natural, Glen Douherty Memorial Foundation, USS Battle Series, The Long Acre, Life Like Jake, Sentry, Longarm Ranch, Armed Forces Brewing Company, Uncommon Grit, Island Frog Apparel, JWR Construction Services, Follow On Mission, Conquer, Victory Strategies, and Impact Actual.