First Marine Leg Amputee Summits Everest
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While we sat at our desks last week, Marine Corps combat veteran Charlie Linville summited Everest. The kicker? The dude's an amputee.
The 30 year-old father of two from Boise, Idaho had a below-the-knee amputation in 2013 after being involved in an IED blast in Afghanistan that threw him into the air and brought him directly down into the blast crater. Linville's bomb disposal days are done, but he's certainly not done being badass.
Now that's a foot that means business. The Heroes Project photo.
The cherry on the cake is that this was Linville's third stab at summiting; homie's got some serious doggedness. An avalanche that claimed the lives of 16 sherpas in 2014 stalled his first attempt, and a devastating 'quake in Nepal the following year made him reschedule yet again.
Geared-up. Most vital piece of equipment: spare foot. The Heroes Project photo.
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Meanwhile, Linville's appetite to climb only intensified, and while he waited for his third day one of climbing, he joined in with local relief efforts. Linville wanted, nay deserved, to conquer Everest more than anything, but not for himself; from the get-go, reaching the top was about inspiring others to accomplish their goals. It was about The Heroes Project.
The next time you're asked who you'd invite to dinner if you could ask anyone, include Linville. He's a man of many tales, and, most of all, accomplishments. The Heroes Project photo.
Take that, multiple fractures, lower spine trauma, an amputated foot (and ring finger), mild traumatic brain injury, and PTSD. Ain't nothin' gonna stop a wounded war vet.
