On Thursday, Charlie Linville became the first combat amputee to make it to the top of Mount Everest.
The Marine Corps veteran reached the 29,029-foot peak after taking the northern — and more difficult — route. Before his expedition, Linville, a 30-year-old married father of two from Idaho, told USA Today he wanted to show people "that no, don't you have pity for disabled veterans because we're capable of so much more than you think."
A staff sergeant, Linville lost his leg in 2011, and has a prosthesis. He tried two other times to reach the top of Everest, but was thwarted by an avalanche in 2014 and earthquake in 2015. Linville is climbing with the veterans organization The Heroes Project, and isn't the only combat amputee on the mountain — Chad Jukes, 32, is also climbing, with another veterans organization, U.S. Expedition & Explorations. Linville told USA Today his "commitment to Everest has been No. 1" and it's been a difficult time for his family, but he believes "in what the power of getting to the top will show disabled veterans, and that's important to me."
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