Navy SEALs to Swim Across Hudson River to Support 300 Military ‘Brothers’

Veterans who served in leadership roles for elite units like the Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders and Army Rangers, often struggle to find purpose after they leave their high-stakes assignments. That’s where Beyond the Brotherhood (BTB) comes in.

On Aug. 15, the organization will host the eighth-annual NYC SEAL Swim in New York City as part of a 3.5-mile swim across the Hudson River to support its mission. The endurance challenge will bring together active-duty Navy SEALs, veterans, first responders, corporate leaders, athletes and other supporters. BTB helps veterans continue to find meaningful leadership roles after they separate from the military, along with providing services for Gold Star Families and first responders.

For Bill Brown, founder of NYC SEAL Swim, the race goes beyond a challenge rooted in strength and endurance. It’s a call to action to support veterans and emergency responders.

“The idea came from a simple belief: that the men and women who have given everything for this country, SEALs, veterans, Gold Star families, 9/11 survivors, police officers and firefighters, deserve more than a ‘thank you,’” Brown, a former Navy SEAL, told Military.com.

They deserve an experience that reconnects them to the brotherhood: the resilience and the sense of purpose that defined their service.”

Brown, an attorney at Parlatore Law Group in New Jersey, believes open-water swimming is the ideal vehicle for reconnection.

“It is grueling,” he said. “It requires discipline, mental toughness and trust in the people around you. It is, in every sense, adventure therapy. The theory of putting veterans back in challenging, purpose-driven environments surrounded by their brothers and sisters is one of the most effective ways to help veterans reconnect with who they are.”

From Humble Beginnings to a National Audience

The event began in 2019 with only 33 Navy SEAL veterans, ballooning to 323 swimmers in the 2025 race.

One of the original swimmers was current Defense Secretary and former Army Capt. Pete Hegseth, who used his platform as a Fox News co-host to promote the NYC SEAL Swim.

“[Hegseth] championed the event from day one,” Brown said. “He understood that Navy SEALs swimming across the Hudson River was a story that would move the nation, and he was right.”

Brown said the past several events have aired on Fox News and Newsmax, raising nearly $1 million for veterans. While the race is strenuous, no medical emergencies have occurred during the seven-year history.

Seeing hundreds of people swim in unison for a good cause shows togetherness during a time of national division, he added.

“The NYC SEAL Swim sends a positive patriotic message of unity for our entire nation to see,” Brown said. “That’s why I do this. And that is why I will never stop.”

Advice for Swimmers

Registration is now open for interested swimmers, who Brown implores to trust the process and the brotherhood to help guide them through the finish.

He said every swimmer goes through a physical fitness vetting process before jumping into the Hudson.

“You either passed one of our qualification swims or 100 push-ups, 22 pull-ups, a one-mile flag run, a two-mile ocean swim and 100 more push-ups, or you have proven yourself in a three-mile-plus, open-water event,” Brown said. “You earned your spot. Trust that preparation.”

If swimmers get into trouble, they can use a bright orange buoy as a life preserver. It offers a sign that help is needed.

Swimmers will wear tracking bracelets and teams from Donjon Marine Co. will be on hand to monitor competitors, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard, NYPD and the New Jersey State Police.

“And you will have 300 brothers and sisters in the water with you,” Brown said.

‘Screams … Stay With You Forever’

BTB’s roots were planted by former Navy SEAL Commander Jimmy May when he realized a large gap needed to be filled.

SEALs leave the military after leading elite special operations units to try to navigate an even harsher assignment: acclimating to civilian life and reconnecting with a public that knows very little about what they’ve been through, or what they’re capable of.

Along with May and Brown, Drew Forsberg—a retired Navy SEAL and former chief warrant officer—leads the organization.

“They understand the challenges because they have lived them,” Brown said. “When a SEAL calls BTB, they are talking to someone who has been in the same fight, carried the same weight and faced the same transition.”

That’s why Brown believes supporting BTB is so important. After he left the Navy, he struggled to find ways to rekindle the camaraderie the SEALs had. He called the Navy SEALs’ bond “unlike anything else in the world.”

“We live by the SEAL ethos: ‘I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.’ That guardian spirit to serve and protect our nation doesn’t end when you take off the uniform,” he said.

Brown followed in his father’s and grandfathers’ footsteps by joining the service. During his eight years in the Navy, the former petty officer second class (E5) was deployed three times. He learned about the SEAL program during boot camp and decided to jump in.

However, he failed the swimming portion of training multiple times before passing and becoming a SEAL.

While in the Navy, Brown wasn’t spared from the harsh realities of war. On Oct. 14, 2004, he was working as a first responder in Iraq when two suicide bombings rocked Baghdad’s Green Zone.

“I raced down the street trying to intercept a second suicide bomber but was unable to prevent the terrorist from detonating explosives in the middle of an open street bazaar,” he said. “The aftermath … the screams of victims with severe burn injuries, the remains of those killed stay with you forever.”

Issues Facing Veterans

Brown believes the biggest problems facing veterans are the ones nobody wants to discuss, mainly employment discrimination, military to civilian transition, and accountability for organizations that claim to serve veterans but are questionable for fraudulent practices.

Veterans deserve transparency, accountability and organizations that put the mission first, not the endowment.

In his law career, Brown has represented veterans in employee discrimination lawsuits, seeing firsthand how employers sometimes pay veterans less than comparable colleagues.

“Veterans lead troops in combat, manage millions of dollars in military equipment and make life-and-death decisions under pressure, and then they come home and are paid less,” he added. “Veterans are excluded from opportunities, and we’re punished when we speak up.”

Every year, when he swims alongside 300 competitors, Brown smiles knowing his work—in the water or in the courtroom—is supporting his veteran brothers.

“The NYC SEAL Swim exists because I believe veterans deserve better,” Brown said. “And I will keep fighting until they get it.”