Three US war veterans reach Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro
Last updated 8/13/2010 11:19:15 AM
Three US war veterans reach Africas highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro
They are veterans of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq and have only one good leg among them but against all odds, three US amputee veterans have reached Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro.
The intrepid trio have shown that disability need not lead to inactivity, hiking to the top of the 19,330ft high Tanzanian mountain in six days.
The men had to stop frequently to adjust their titanium prostheticlegs, as they slipped constantly on the loose scree-covered paths. Dan Nevins, 37, had lost his legs in Iraq, Neil Duncan, 26, lost both legs in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2005, and Kirk Bauer, 62, lost a leg in Vietnam in 1969. Dan had to be evacuated on a wheeled stretcher from the peak at the end of the challenge.
"If three amputees from three different wars and two different generations with literally one good leg can climb Kilimanjaro, our other disabled friends can get out and go hiking or go biking or swim a mile, can get out and lead a healthy life," explained Kirk. He is executive director of Disabled Sports USA, an organisation that promotes physical fitness and sport participation for individuals with disabilities.