Lake Michigan Swimmer to Celebrate 250th Anniversary by Towing 250 Cannonballs
To commemorate America’s 250th birthday with the construction of a memorial honoring U.S. Combat Veterans, Jim “The Shark” Dreyer plans to tow 250 cannonballs while swimming 22 miles from offshore in Lake Michigan to the coastal town of Whitehall, Michigan. The cannonballs will be used to build the U.S. 250th Combat Veterans Memorial in Whitehall.
The swim is planned to start on August 7, 2026, with Dreyer arriving at Whitehall’s Goodrich Park during the White Lake Area Maritime Festival. The actual date of the swim and arrival in Whitehall will be dependent on weather and lake conditions. Dreyer may be tracked in near-real-time from the event webpage during his journey.
“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 6-pound cannonballs delivered in Dreyer’s swim are reminiscent of the cannonball most commonly used during the American Revolution in 1776.
Dreyer will pull 249 cannonballs in two dinghies and will carry one cannonball on his back for his late father, CPL Jack Dreyer, a World War II Combat Veteran who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the European theater.
The total weight of the cannonballs Dreyer plans to tow is 1,500 pounds.
The U.S. 250th Combat Veterans Memorial will be funded through the sale of the cannonballs Dreyer tows in the swim. Any surplus from the sale of cannonballs is planned to be distributed in support of White Lake Area Veterans organizations.
“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.”