Rowdy Gaines had the opportunity and honor to meet many, many American heroes this week: the Blue Angels. What’s more, he had the opportunity to both see them perform a private show and even fly with one of them. It took a whole year-and-a-half of planning, an extensive physical and more to grant the Olympian clearance (and he has a dear persistent swimming friend to thank for that), but he was able to fly the friendly skies, an experience he was quick to call the “most amazing thing I’ve ever done in my life.” They flew just feet above the ocean, broke the sound barrier and went 5 Gs during the course of the 45-minute flight. Rowdy represented LIMU and TEAM BLU FROG really very well; there were a lot of handshakes and hugs shared after it was all done. And, even though many soldiers clambered after autographs and photos with Rowdy, he was heard saying over and over again that the honor was all his: in his eyes, they were the true American heroes.
