On April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded the U.S. ship, Maersk Alabama, while it was carrying humanitarian aid to Kenya. Captain Richard Phillips and his 20 crew members resisted but the pirates still managed to disable the ship’s systems and lock the crew in a part of the ship. Phillips was captured while his crew took one of the pirates. After failed negotiations, the remaining pirates fled in a lifeboat with $30,000 from the ship’s safe and Phillips as a hostage. After a 3-day standoff with the U.S. Navy, Navy SEAL snipers killed the three pirates holding Phillips hostage in the lifeboat and he was rescued unharmed.

In 2010, Captain Phillips published a memoir, Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. A movie was also released in 2013, starring Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips. Phillips retired from active duty in 2014 and began working as a motivational speaker, sharing his experiences from the hijacking at corporate events, veteran gatherings and more.

Alessandra Gesiotto provides The Breakthrough Journal to military families through organizations like Team Honor and Rockin with the SEALs. Through this work she connected with Joe Forlines, founder of Team Honor, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance and community support for the families of veterans and active-duty service members. Team Honor partners with Rockin’ with the SEALs, a Canton-based nonprofit that hosts an annual golf outing at Glenmoor.

Joe believed a cookout before the golf event would be a meaningful way to bring veterans together. He reached out to Captain Phillips, who was already attending the outing, and invited him to arrive early to speak at a small gathering. Captain Phillips agreed, and the Gesiotto family hosted a cookout at their home for about 40 guests, where he shared his story. Old Carolina Barbecue and Sicily’s Italian Icebox generously provided dinner and dessert for the event.

In addition to the cookout, the weekend featured Jiu-Jitsu sessions, parachute landings onto the driving range, and Navy SEAL demonstrations in the swimming pool. The golf outing itself was a great success, with competitions such as Civilians vs. Operators and mixed foursomes that included retired Navy SEALs. One standout moment was the first-ever Walkin’ with the SEALs, a guided tour of Glenmoor that the SEALs enjoyed. Keep an eye out next year- this will become a new annual event open to the entire neighborhood!