Part of the U.S. Air Force Seven Summit team smiles for a group photo in front of a Himalayan mountain range in Deboche, Nepal. A team of six active-duty Airmen is currently on their way to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth. (Courtesy photo/USAF Seven Summit Challenge)
The tents of the U.S. Air Force Seven Summit team are illumated at night at a base camp near Mount Everest. A team of six active-duty Airmen is currently on their way to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, to suppoort resilience, raise money for charity and commemorate their fallen. (Courtesy photo/USAF Seven Summit Challenge)
A team member of the U.S. Air Force Seven Summit team practices how to safely traverse crevasses at Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal. A team of six active-duty Airmen is currently on their way to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, to suppoort resilience, raise money for charity and commemorate their fallen. (Courtesy photo/USAF Seven Summit Challenge)
4/16/2013 - FT. GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- A team of Air Force mountaineers began their journey to ascend and summit Mount Everest recently as the final expedition of the independent U.S. Air Force Seven Summit Challenge.
The team of six Airmen is underway on a 50-day journey to the highest mountain on earth, completing a project that began eight years ago with the goal of reaching the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, to plant the American and Air Force flags.
Collectively, teams of the Summit Challenge have already scaled the more than 104,337 vertical feet on Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua, Mount McKinley, Mount Vinson and Mount Kosciuszko.
The summit team is accompanied by four trekkers and three wounded warriors (two pararescuemen and a combat rescue officer) who will not make a summit attempt but support the team in their feat.
The team reached Nepal March 31, and began the final stages of the trip. After spending a few days in the region getting used to the increased elevation, the team pushed on to Everest.
By April 10, most of the team had moved up to base camp facilities at Lobuche, a mountain peak near Everest. The group then moved on to the Everest Base Camp to acclimatize at further increased elevation and practiced important procedures such as crevasse rescues and ladder handling.
At Everest Base Camp, Capt. Rob Marshall, one of the co-founders of the AF Seven Summits challenge and the leader of the team, was able to make a call home early April 15.
"We were having an awesome day today. We had our Puja, a big spiritual blessing (ceremony), where we ask Mount Everest and essential the spirit of the mountain to bless the team and give us good luck," Marshall said, shortly before his data connection was interrupted.
With a view of the Khumbu icefall, a precarious gateway on the ascent to Everest, Marshall said the team grew more excited -- looking at the mountain they've prepared so hard to climb.
Scaling Mount Everest is not a quick affair. Marshall said the group will move at a slow pace to improve their chances of getting as many people as possible to the summit.
"You can climb Everest at a faster pace, but from our research, we are giving ourselves the best chance to acclimatize and the optimal amount of time to reach the top," Marshall said.
Health is an especially difficult issue for expeditions in the Himalayas. Most of the team fell ill with intestinal "bugs," shortly after their arrival in Nepal, due to the foreign food and living conditions.
The team since returned to Lobuche, which with nearly 20,161 feet elevation is already higher than any point in the continental U.S. They plan to ascend the lower peak April 16 for a "shakedown climb," giving everyone the important chance to check out their gear on a lower elevation, lower risk climb before making their first trip through the Khumbu icefall and up to Camp 1 on Everest.
The mountaineers plan their final ascent to Everest for mid-May, however the teams anxiety is rising.
"The stakes of this climb are the highest (no pun intended) of my life," Marshall wrote online. "There is a lot of personal pride and no shortage of money on the line here."
They climb to promote camaraderie and team spirit among Airmen, raise money for charity and to honor and commemorate the fallen.
Though not on an official military mission, if successful in their endeavor to scale 29,029-foot Mount Everest, the crew will become the first team of active-duty American military members to have reached Everest's summit.
On the team are:
- Maj. Rob Marshall, a V-22 Osprey pilot from Mercer Island, Wash., stationed in Amarillo, Texas
- Capt. Kyle Martin, a T-38 Talon pilot, from Manhattan, Kan., stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
- Capt. Marshall Klitzke, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot from Lemmon, S.D., currently an instructor pilot at the Air Force Academy.
- Capt. Colin Merrin, a GPS satellite operations mission commander from Santee, Calif., stationed at Schriever AFB, Colo.
- Staff Sgt. Nick Gibson, a Reserve pararescueman and physician-assistant student from Gulf Breeze, Fla., stationed at Patrick AFB
- Capt. Andrew Ackles, a TH-1N instructor pilot, from Ashland, Ore., stationed at Fort Rucker, Ala.
4/24/2013 3:51:13 AM ET I think this is great The AF isn't paying for it and who cares if they do get permissive TDY. I'm sure they have all worked enough overtime in their career to justify some time off. @KP stop the whining. You sound ridiculous and jealous like a toddler who had their toy taken away. If you want 45 days PTDY then get a team together for a worthy cause and go climb a mountain or are you just the type of person to sit back and complain
Tired of you bitter people, Afghanistan
4/20/2013 3:43:29 PM ET SOG when you find something in that BS statment of yours that relates to his PRIMARY duty let me know. It is not the US taxpayer's job to pay for his time to go climb a mountain. It's noble and all that... just do it on your own time and money. I don't recall playing the combat time game but I know the good Major's resume and can tell you for a matter of fact he does not have more combat experience than I... and I can tell you that it doesn't matter. The BLUF is that he's on AF time doing this and in an era of people losing their job due to cuts excess is the first thing to go. Regardless of how good that excess makes you feel.
KP, KS
4/20/2013 8:19:09 AM ET This was the only moment in that the Air force didn't fly but that walked mountain arduously above and there in the high it conquered your placeEste foi o unico momento em que a Fora Area no voou mas que caminhou arduamente montanha acima e l no alto conquistou o seu lugar
emanuel veloza fernandesv, Fortaleza Ceara Brasil
4/19/2013 1:57:34 PM ET I think KP needs to do more research on why Rob started this project and why this team was put together i recommend you look at past articles on this project. Maybe then you will think more about your service before self comment. Plus I'm completely certain Maj Marshall has more actual combat experience than you will ever have. This has absolutely nothing to do with making a name for themselves and everything to do with memorializing certain lost aircrew members and friends as well as other warriors that have made the ultimate sacrifice. This article just doesn't do that purpose any justice by focusing primarily on the mountain climb.
Former SOG, OK
4/19/2013 12:57:46 PM ET Great and inspiring story. Hopefully people will read this and donate to the teams charitable efforts. @KP please get off your high horse. I will borrow your jump to conclusions board and conclude you are a bit biter at the world.
JT, Maxwell
4/18/2013 8:48:12 AM ET Service before self... we talk about how hard it is to reduce numbers but we can let people take 45 days permissive leave to go make a name for themself. I'm not sure where the service went in the military where the sense of putting the mission first went. If your unit can function without you 45 days in addition to your regular leave then maybe you're simply not as integral as we make you out to be. Apparently rated aviators aren't that in demand these days.
KP, KS
4/17/2013 2:18:17 PM ET Go Ge'em This is fantastic. I like this kind of positive boost for our Air Force when our Congressional leaders do exactly the opposite reducing our strength whenever they can. I hope to follow this endeavor with regular entries as to your progress.I am a retired USAF Fighter Pilot. Did my thing in VN all of 1972.
