Veterans Aim to Be First Combat Amputees to Reach Everest Summit

By Alastair Jamieson

They have overcome huge obstacles in the service of their country, but they haven’t conquered the biggest obstacle in the world. Not yet.

Two military veterans — a Marine who lost part of his leg in Afghanistan and a retired Army staff sergeant battling post-traumatic stress disorder — this month hope to become the first combat amputees to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

In climbing 29,029 feet to the top of the world’s mountain, they also hope to inspire other wounded service members to “accomplish their goals and have a meaningful life.”

“Not only will I be climbing the tallest mountain in the world but I’ll be doing it while raising issues for veterans — most especially post-traumatic stress which has affected me personally and many of the soldiers with whom I’ve served,” said Chad Jukes, whose right leg was amputated below the knee in 2006 after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in northern Iraq.

More than 1,645 members of the U.S. military have lost a major limb since 2001, and thousands more have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Meanwhile, a study by the RAND Corporation concluded that at least 20 percent of the 2.7 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have PTSD and/or depression — although many doctors believe the true figure could be far higher.

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