Wounded Veterans to Summit Gannett Peak, WY on 9/11
Wells Fargo Sponsored Warriors to Summits team faces incredible obstacles in their journey to overcome barriers
Fort Collins, CO, Sept. 10, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Sponsored by Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), the Warriors to Summits expedition team of 10 wounded veterans seek to overcome post-military service challenges by attempting to accomplish the climb of a lifetime: summiting Wyoming’s Gannett Peak in the River Range on September 11th.
Members of the expedition were selected by Warriors to Summits from a pool of applicants, and were trained over the summer in Colorado and Utah. On their climb, they will face the extreme weather conditions and a mile-long boulder field at Dinwoody Glacier.
“Over the past several months, these veterans have grown as individuals as they’ve prepared to face the challenge ahead of them,” said John Toth, director of No Barriers Warriors, the non-profit that organizes Warriors to Summits expeditions. “We trust their pursuit of Gannett Peak will inspire them to seek out new challenges, live a life of purpose and always remember that what’s within them is stronger than what’s in front of them.”
The Gannett Peak expedition team is led by two of America’s best-known mountaineers, Jeff Evans and Charley Mace. Also joining the veterans will be six expedition leaders.
Warriors to Summits climbers typically live with post-military service conditions, ranging from emotional and physical trauma to impaired senses, chronic pain, and amputated limbs. Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are common challenges of these warriors seeking to readjust to civilian life.
The veterans making up the Gannett Peak expedition team include:
- Janet Gonzalez – Bronx, NY, Army – Injury sustained during pre-deployment training at Fort Jackson, SC
- Ryan Kelly – Denver, CO, Army – Injury sustained during combat deployment in Iraq (OIF)
- Gina Kothe – Shokan, NY, Army – Injury sustained during post-military first-responder civilian service
- Kyle Miller – Billings, MT, Army – Injury sustained during combat deployments in Iraq (OIF) and Africa
- Boyd Murphy – Springfield, VA, Army – Injury sustained during airborne training at Ft. Benning, GA
- Denny Salisbury – Lakeport, CA, Marine Corps – Injury sustained during combat deployment in Iraq (OIF)
- Paul Smith - Ardmore, OK, Army - Injury sustained during combat deployment in Iraq (OIF)
- James Stanek, Jr. – Rio Rancho, NM, Army – Injury sustained during combat deployment in Iraq (OIF)
- Nathan Wright – Cypress, TX, Army – Injury sustained during combat deployment in Afghanistan (OEF)
- Mark Yearsley – Jerome, ID, Air Force – Injury sustained during deployment in Kuwait (DESERT STORM)
This is Warriors to Summits’ sixth such expedition. Others included the South Pole Allied Challenge (SPAC) with Britain’s Prince Harry, as well as climbs of Peru’s Mariposa 1, Ecuador’s Cotopaxi, Nepal’s Lobuche and North America’s Mount Whitney.
To learn more about Team Gannett Peak and the work of Warriors to Summits, visit WarriorstoSummits.org. Supporters may also visit Crowdrise.com/WalkwiththeWarriors2015 to join Walk with the Warriors, a fundraising campaign to show support for the Gannett Peak climb by walking in honor of the veterans, showing them they are not alone in their journey to recovery.
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About Warriors to Summits
No Barriers Warriors is a program of No Barriers USA, whose mission is to unleash the potential of the human spirit. The program empowers veterans and transitioning service members with disabilities, and survivors of the fallen, to overcome barriers and unleash their potential. Their experiences serve as both an opportunity for growth and catalyst for change as these brave men and women stretch boundaries, build teams, innovate through adversity and step up to lead and serve others. Complementing the reintegration process, this program provides quality transformative experiences that inspire warriors to grow and continue to contribute their absolute best to the world.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, more than 12,500 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.
