Wounded Warriors Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro

Rockville, Md. – August 10, 2010 – Six days after they began their journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, three veteran servicemen, all missing one or both lower limbs, reached their goal Saturday, Aug. 7, at 2 a.m. EDT.

 

The three climbers, from Disabled Sports USA’s Warfighter Sports program are:  Retired Army Sgt. Neil Duncan, 26, Denver, a double leg amputee injured in Afghanistan; retired Army Staff Sgt. Dan Nevins, 37, Jacksonville, Fla., a double below knee amputee injured in Iraq; and retired Sgt. Kirk Bauer, JD, 62, Ellicott City, Md., a single above knee amputee injured in Vietnam. Bauer is executive director of Disabled Sports USA.

 

“Our message in this climb is to both our wounded military, who have made such a sacrifice to this great country of ours; and to people with disabilities throughout the nation,” Bauer said. “If three veterans from three wars and two generations with one good leg between them can climb the tallest mountain in Africa, then all with disabilities can choose to be active and healthy through sports.”

 

The team’s climb is part of Disabled Sports USA’s (DSUSA) Warfighter Sports Series, a schedule of challenge sports events that help military service members with permanent disabilities, such as amputated limbs, spinal cord injury, visual impairment or traumatic brain injury, reach the full potential through participation in extreme and endurance sports.

 

Blogs and photos can be found at www.warfightersports.org. The event was chronicled by award-winning photographer Reed Hoffman, through a grant from Microsoft Imaging.  Another key supporter of the climb is Health Net, a medical services provider.