Believe / Shirt

TITLE: Believe
VETERAN: Sean Pesce, US Army Ranger
DESIGNER: Sasha Safir-Temple
PROJECT: 50 States – Connecticut

“Believe,” is an illustrative expression of U.S. Army Ranger Veteran Sean Pesce’s positivity and continual drive to be the best version of himself by turning his weaknesses into strengths. On the last mission of his deployment in 2012, Sean was shot thirteen times, leading him to be paralyzed from the belly button down, undergo countless surgeries and hours of rehabilitation, be hospitalized for a year, and have continual complications to this day.

Flying the highest of all birds, the eagle represents Sean’s strength in overcoming his fear of heights, while the sun and the star are symbols pulled from the Ranger Crest and the lightning bolt from his position as a Forward Observer–the communicator between air and ground units. Above it all, the thirteen rays of light symbolize the thirteen bullets that struck Sean, eventually leading him to adopt his positive attitude of living with his injuries, seeing them as motivation to do more and constantly strive to improve. Through their design, Sasha Safir-Temple and Sean hope to inspire others to recognize the opportunities hidden beneath what we believe to be our weaknesses.