When Veterans Day rolls around every year I always feel the same few emotions begin to surface. Every year…same ones.

I always feel very fortunate and blessed… that I was simply, out of mere dumn luck, born in a country that provides basic needs to MOST of it’s inhabitants. Where I can enjoy the freedom to vote, to outwardly quench my spiritual thirst without fear of condemnation as well as make a living by doing something as ridiculous as climbing mountains and talking about it to companies. Not many countries in the world where all of these pursuits are available to it’s citizens. For that, I am grateful.

I always feel a great sense of gratitude… to the “greatest generation”…my grandfather and his colleagues. Men (as well as their families that supported them) that fought against tyranny with a sense of bravery that we very rarely see anymore. It was because of their actions that we live the way that we do. They were selfless and committed to a cause that was far beyond them as individuals….before the era of social media and big screen documentaries. They are how I define hero and I feel we owe it all to them.

I always feel a sense of regret… wondering what my life would have been like should I have chosen to enlist out of high school after many meetings with the recruiters. This was Top Gun time…so flying jets in the Navy sure seemed like a cool job. I think I was scared. Scared of what it would take to make the military my life…perhaps I wasn’t strong enough or brave enough to see it through. Watching my cousin Jean fight like hell to become one of a handful of female fighter pilots in the Air Force proved to me that with an extreme level of dedication as well as what can only be determined a high level of skill, one can achieve those far off dreams. Jean went for it and was rewarded with countless hours of flying some of the most sophisticated machines that we have ever built. I am awed by her commitment to her career and part of me wonders…what was keeping me from following that same path (one clear thing is, Jean is smarter than me by an order of magnitude).

I always feel a great sense of respect… to the men and women that have recently or currently serve. Without a draft, everyone that wears or has worn the uniform in recent decades signed on the dotted line and committed to put service before personal needs. I respect the sense of loyalty to the guy (or gal) that serves right next to you. How it really all comes down to putting your team before your own aspirations and in their case, safety and wellbeing. I respect and honor what it takes to be away from family for months on end…to voluntarily put yourself in harms way, although service men and women do it for a far more honorable reason than simply climbing a big peak.

For all of these reasons, I know that I need to do something to say thanks in the only way I know how… to take some of these remarkable folks up to the high places and provide them the venue to challenge themselves and in some cases reclaim what was once theirs.

Last year’s Soldiers To The Summit (S2S) project was born from all of these emotions. Erik Weihenmayer and I, with the help of World TEAM Sports and some of our Everest buddies, brought together a group of injured vets to climb a big Himalayan Peak. The resulting documentary, High Ground should be released to the public next summer and will capture the challenges that many injured vets experience when they return from combat.

We are currently in the planning stages of the follow up on last years project that will take place in Ecuador. We will be bringing a few of the participants from last year’s climb to serve as mentors for a new group of injured soldiers that represent the spirit of S2S to climb Cotopaxi in December 2012.

If you happen to experience any of the emotions that I mention above when this day of recognition rolls around and would like to show your own gratitude…our S2S project is a great opportunity.

Do you know an injured vet? Send him/her over to the S2S website to apply for one of the spots for next year’s adventure.

Do you have a relationship with a company that is looking to participate in a social responsibility project with a backbone to it? There are many ways in which corporate America can get involved in our project…sponsor a soldier, promote the trip, secure corporate relationships… and the list goes on.

To show gratitude is important…saying thanks is great. Acting on it is felt deeply. Tell a veteran that you are grateful in a way that is impactful.

Posted by Jeff Evans at 11:19 AM

Soldiers to the Summit (S2S) is an ongoing program, ending with an exciting capstone expedition, to specifically assist veterans dealing with post-war challenges. The S2S program strengthens the rehabilitation process and helps veterans prepare for their future. A mentoring component of the S2S experience builds upon the camaraderie and support-systems which are often integral to a veteran’s military experience.

Soldiers to the Summit began last year when Erik Weihenmayer (our co-founder and Chairman of the Board) and his team celebrated the tenth anniversary of their historic Everest climb. Together they led eleven disabled soldiers, all injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, toward the summit of Lobuche, a 20,161-foot peak in Nepal. This expedition was a tremendous success and will soon become the subject of a major feature film that will highlight the challenges faced by our veterans as they work to return home after life-changing injuries.

Charley points out Everest from Lobuche Summit

No Barriers has played an increasingly important role in raising funds and creating awareness for Soldiers to the Summit.  We have extended that legacy forward with our successful fundraising climb of Quandary Peak in May and the inclusion of the Lobuche team members at our No Barriers Summit in July.

We are also pleased to announce that Charley Mace will serve as the Program Director for the S2S expeditions. Charley was with Erik on Everest and was an integral part of the first S2S expedition to Lobuche. He is one of Americas most highly regarded mountaineers with years of experience as a professional guide across the great ranges of the world. Charley has guided on every continent, climbed the seven continental high points, and summited four of the world’s fourteen 8000-meter peaks.

In addition to his climbing talents, Charley has a very strong business background. For six years, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Trango Equipment, a premier climbing equipment and apparel business, and he is a former Director of Operations of the American Alpine Club.

If you would like to help support or become more involved with the Soldiers to the Summit, you can contact Charley directly by email at cm@soldierstothesummit.org or phone at 303-888-7247.

www.facebook.com/SoldierstotheSummit

The Lion King’s Don Hahn Takes HIGH GROUND

A moving portrait of returning veterans who set out to climb a Himalayan giant in a quest to heal the physical and mental ravages of war.

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – The Lion King producer Don Hahn, has joined Emmy Award-winning director Michael Brown on a new documentary, HIGH GROUND.  The film tells the true story of eleven wounded veterans whose road to recovery takes them to the top of a Himalayan giant on a journey to heal the wounds of war.

Hahn is the Oscar® nominated producer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast and Executive Producer of Disneynature’s Earth, Oceans, and African Cats.

“The story of these soldiers banding together to heal the wounds that have so radically altered their lives is beyond inspiring,” said Hahn. “I’m thrilled to join a gifted filmmaker like Michael in this remarkable undertaking.”

Read the full story on Yahoo! Finance …

Soldiers to the Summit logos are provided here for download.

Download instructions:

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Due to heavy snows last week and poor weather forecast for the next few days, the team decided to make the switch from Mt. Elbert to Quandary Peak.

Read the original post with details of the project below …

March 19 COLORADO – Erik Weihenmayer made the first blind ascent of Mount Everest on May 25, 2001 and 13 year old, Jordan Romero, became the youngest person to summit the world’s highest peak on May 22, 2010. To commemorate the anniversaries of their historic climbs, Erik and Jordan are teaming up to raise funds for the Soldiers To The Summit Project.

Download a 1mb pdf of the Mt. Elbert Climb flyer seen below.

By Brian Mockenhaupt

TWO YEARS LATER AND STILL HE IMAGINED HIS BLINDNESS AS A TERRIBLE DREAM. He’d wake up and see again. The mountains. A wife whose face he knew only by touch. The sunrise. Everything. His last vision of this world was a dusty, darkened street in northern Baghdad while at the wheel of an enormous armored vehicle. The bomb was simple but lethal: a metal tube stuffed with explosives and capped with a concave copper disk. Powered by the blast, the disk transformed into a jet of molten copper that bored through the thick front passenger door. Shrapnel sliced through his friend Sergeant Victor Cota, then into him. Metal punched through his right temple, ruptured his eyes, gouged holes in his left thigh and right biceps, and mangled his left forearm. Face crushed and body scorched, he was covered in so much of Cota’s blood that fellow soldiers thought he was dead, until he stirred from unconsciousness and wiped his face. Cota died in the truck, and Private First Class Steve Baskis woke up a week later in Walter Reed Army Medical Center to more pain than he’d ever felt and a doctor telling him he’d never see again. Yet he carried an optimism many couldn’t understand. “I just love living, more than anything,” he’d often say.

Read Brian Mockenhaupt’s feature about the World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ Soldiers to the Summit Expedition to Nepal, published in the April, 2011 edition of Outside Magazine.

March 15 COLORADO – Hard to believe but it’s been 10 years since I climbed Everest! A lot has happened since then and my team and I are still working together to give back after the mountains have given us so much. Our latest effort was the Soldiers To The Summit expedition and now we are working on making the film happen. (Click on over to Erik’s site to read this original post or continue below).

This May, we are going to celebrate the big anniversary by climbing the highest peak in Colorado, Mount Elbert, along with special guests and interested donors. The goal is to raise $25,000 that will go towards the film project and tour. We are hoping to bring along 25 people who would like to climb with me, Jordan Romero, and over a dozen other Everest climbers and soldiers. Michael Brown from Serac Adventures Films will be filming the ascent and will prescreen the Soldiers film the night before at a special dinner.

Hope you can make it! Please pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested.

Reach!
Erik

About the Mt. Elbert Fundraising Climb

On May 25^th, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer made the first blind ascent of Mount Everest. On May 22^nd, 2010, at age 13, Jordan Romero became the youngest person to summit the world’s highest peak. To commemorate the anniversaries of their historic climbs, Erik and Jordan are teaming up to raise funds for the Soldiers To The Summit Project.

Last fall, Erik and his historic Everest team organized an expedition as a way to give back to America’s heroes. The members included 12 wounded soldiers from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines whose injuries included amputations, blindness, and PTSD. Together with the climbing team, these remarkable men and women reached the summit of a steep and difficult Himalayan peak to prove what is possible despite adversity and to push forward on the difficult road of rehabilitation.

With the expedition a tremendous success, the next phase of the project is underway, with help from No Barriers USA. Proceeds of the Elbert climb will go towards a film that tells the stories of these heroes and spreads a healing message to a national audience, as well as other injured soldiers facing their own recovery.

At 14,440 feet, Mount Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado. The ascent involves 4,700 feet of elevation gain in just over 4 miles and much of the trail is above treeline—this is a strenuous climb that requires good fitness!

In addition to Erik and Jordan, you will be accompanied by other Everest veterans and wounded soldiers. Michael Brown, the filmmaker of both Soldiers to the Summit and Farther Than the Eye Can See, and Rex Pemberton, youngest Australian to climb Everest, will be alongside to create a short film of our ascent as a memento. The night before the climb, we will host a special reception and private screening of the Soldiers To The Summit documentary. Please join us for an exciting adventure and help our soldiers!

Cost: $1000.00 per person (tax-deductible) includes hotel and dinner in Leadville and dinner on Thursday night.

Contact: Nicole Spader
No Barriers USA
Phone: 952-472-2400
Email: nicoleds@nobarriersusa.org

http://iowapublicradio.org/single_story.php?storyid=1508

Soldiers to the Summit team photo on summit of Lobuche. Photo by Didrik Johnck.

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March 3, 2011, WASHINGTON DC – The Pentagon Channel’s popular Recon series, broadcast at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, reports on the successful climb of 20,075-foot Lobuche East on October 14, 2010. Located in Nepal only 8.7 miles from Mount Everest, Lobuche proved to be a challenging destination for team members, which included 11 wounded warriors from America’s military.

Guided by expert high altitude guides and climbers, the team worked together to triumphantly reach Lobuche’s snow-covered summit by mid-morning. Following only an hour on the summit, the climbers carefully descended the mountain to begin their long journey home.

Recon, a monthly half-hour program celebrating accomplishments of America’s military men and women, is simulcast live on the Pentagon Channel’s website. The documentary will also be made available for video on demand podcasts.

Judy Plavnick of the Pentagon Channel served as the producer/writer of the Soldiers to the Summit episode of Recon.