Neil Duncan, 26, of Denver, CO, center, and Dan Nevins, 37, of Jacksonville, FL, right, are led by local guide Godlisten Moshi, towards the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, on the fourth day of their climb.
At 26, Neil Duncan of Colorado, who lost his legs in Afghanistan, was the youngest of the trio
NAIROBI, KenyaThe three American veterans from three different wars had only one good leg among them. But that didn't stop them from summiting Africa's highest mountain.
The three soldiers -- veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam -- scrambled, clawed and plodded to the top of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, hiking up the domed mountain's scree-filled paths on one human leg and five prosthetics made of titanium and carbon fiber.
They skidded. They fell. They removed their legs to adjust their shoes. And after six days of climbing they stood at 19,340 feet -- Africa's highest point.
"The message we're trying to send back to the USA is no matter what disability you have, you can be active," said Kirk Bauer, the executive director of Disabled Sports USA and a 62-year-old Vietnam veteran who lost his leg in 1969. Bauer, of Ellicott City, Md., was one of the triumphant climbers.
"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," he said.
The youngest of the veterans, Neil Duncan, 26, lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2005. The Denver, Colo., resident tried to summit Kilimanjaro last year, but poor planning and a fast ascent schedule doomed the trip.... Read more
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