Bryan Chapman Carries SOWF Banner to the Top of the World!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Posted by: Mike Hennessy
Becoming a member of the U.S. Army’s elite Special
Forces is a goal that only a few soldiers ever  achieve. Climbing Mt. Everest is a goal that many
mountaineers dream of but only a few ever make it to the top of the world’s
highest mountain. Bryan Chapman has now
done both.
During the peak climbing
season of late May, Bryan and his teammates reached the top of Mt. Everest.
Bryan’s path to the top of the world started in
Korea where he started rock climbing during a 1993 assignment before he began
mountaineering in 1996 by climbing Washington State’s majestic Mt.
Rainier.
Describing himself as an "adventure athlete”
Bryan also has competed in the famed Ironman Triathlon and other competitions
designed to push athletes to the limits of their endurance.
Despite the risks inherent in his work as a Green
Beret and his hobby of mountaineering, Bryan dismisses any suggestion that he
is some sort of thrill seeker. "I
climb for the physical challenge and reward of accomplishing a goal I have set
for myself, not for an adrenaline rush.”
Bryan was also pursuing a greater goal than personal
satisfaction when he set out to climb Mt. Everest. He used the climb as a fund raiser for the
Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college educations for the
children of fallen special operators from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine
Corps. "In Special Forces you always
have a buddy who is ‘covering your back’ so to speak. For those elite
troops who put their lives on the line every day, SOWF says, when it comes to
the family you leave behind ‘we've got your back.’ That peace of mind makes venturing into
dangerous places much more palatable.”
. Bryan’s dual missions of climbing Mt. Everest and
raising money for the Warrior Foundation seem to have resonated with a lot of
people. With donations still coming in, Bryan’s
supporters have donated nearly $13,000 to the Special Operations Warrior
Foundation. Bryan’s fund raising page is
still open at http://firstgiving.com/summitforsoldiers.
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