Five wounded warriors, including two double-leg amputees, tackle 20,320-foot climb to raise awareness, inspire others with disabilities and support Disabled Sports USA. Follow their progress at http://www.crowdrise.com/wsdenalichallenge.Rockville, MD (PRWEB) June 11, 2012

Disabled Sports USA announced today that Team Warfighter Sportsstarts its climb of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, the highest mountain in North America and one of the coldest in the world. The climb is expected to conclude just before Independence Day.

The team includes five climbers, with only four “good legs” between them, from three wars and two generations: Retired Army Sgt. Neil Duncan, 29, a double-leg amputee injured in Afghanistan; Marine Capt. David Borden, 31, who, after losing his leg above the knee to a suicide bomb in Iraq in 2008, returned to combat in Afghanistan in 2011; retired Army Cpl. Steve Martin, 42, a double-leg amputee injured in Afghanistan; retired Army Capt. Jesse Acosta, 34, who suffered permanent damage to hip, leg and back in Iraq; and retired Army Sgt. Kirk Bauer, JD, 64, an above- knee amputee injured in Vietnam and the Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA for the past 29 years.

“After losing my leg in 2008, I never imagined I would be able return to active duty in the military. Sports have played a very important role in my recovery and I appreciate what Disabled Sports USA has done to help me rebuild my life. The opportunity to climb the highest mountain in North America is a tremendous challenge that will allow me to prove to myself and anyone else with a disability that DSUSA’s motto is true: ‘If I can do this, I can do anything!’” Borden said.

The challenging climb symbolizes the difficulties wounded warriors, their families, and others with disabilities face going through hospitalization and rehabilitation. “After serving thousands of severely injured service members from Iraq and Afghanistan through rehabilitation sports programs for the past nine years, our disabled veterans are now yearning for more opportunities to test their skills to the extreme, as they did in the military,” Bauer said. “They can now literally climb some of the tallest mountains in the world to challenge themselves and inspire others to become active and reach their goals and dreams.” In 2010, Bauer led a successful all-amputee wounded warrior team up Mt. Kilimanjaro, which included Duncan.