Fight OAR Die Team Rows Across Atlantic

Two local men have completed a feat few have attempted.

Beau Maier, a Cody High School graduate, and Powell resident Christopher Kuntz, have been part of a four-man rowing team made up of military veterans that this week completed a 3000 mile trip across the Atlantic. They left in December from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and on Tuesday they arrived in Antigua in the West Indies, completing their nearly 3000 nautical mile trip that took 54 days.

The 32-year-old Maier served in the United States Army as an infantry paratrooper; the 48-year old Kuntz served as an Army Staff Sergeant.

The group, who named themselves “Fight Oar Die” (with oar spelled O-A-R), undertook the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge in December. Their purpose was to raise awareness for the cognitive, behavioral and physical challenges faced by U.S. military personnel and veterans.

They are the first all veteran American team of four to row across the Atlantic Ocean. On their website, US Vet Row.org, they have a “donate now” button, with the money raised going towards helping veterans understand that no matter what has happened in their lives, they can grow, develop, excel and achieve anything they want.