Former Titans coach Jeff Fisher, far right, with other members of "Team Hard Target" atop Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. / believeinheroes.org
After three hours of sleep somewhere high on Africa’s tallest mountain late Tuesday, a small group of climbers packed up camp and hiked upward into darkness and freezing rain.It was midnight local time in Tanzania. At around 6:45 a.m., they stepped onto 19,341-foot Uhuru Peak atop Mount Kilimanjaro and watched a spectacular sunrise.
Jeff Fisher called it one of the great moments of his life.
“When we reached the summit it was really an overwhelming feeling … Words can’t describe what it really is like,” the former Titans coach told NFL Network by phone Thursday after the long descent. “And then you add to that the fact that we did it with the soldiers, with the wounded warriors, was very, very impressive.”
The soldiers — Nancy Schiliro, Michael Wilson, Bryan Wagner and Ben Lunak — had been wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. Two lost legs, one lost an eye, one suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Former NFL players Tedy Bruschi and Chad Lewis were also part of the group. It climbed to raise awareness for Wounded Warrior Project, which honors and empowers wounded service members.
It took five days to reach the summit, and Fisher said the last one was by far the toughest.
“In a 24-hour period we had 19 hours of hiking and 5 hours, if that, of sleep,” he told NFL Network.
Asked where it ranks among accomplishments in his life, Fisher didn’t hesistate: “It’s No. 1, there’s no question. There’s no question whatsoever. It was an incredible experience.”
The soldiers were a big part of that feeling. As the group neared the end of the descent, Fisher said he, Bruschi and Lewis slowed down to watch the soldiers complete the journey first.
“I couldn’t be more honored to be part of this,” he said.
And despite those difficult hours of grinding toward the summit, Fisher said the group already made a decision: “To a man, we’d all do it again given the opportunity.”
Jeff Fisher called it one of the great moments of his life.
“When we reached the summit it was really an overwhelming feeling … Words can’t describe what it really is like,” the former Titans coach told NFL Network by phone Thursday after the long descent. “And then you add to that the fact that we did it with the soldiers, with the wounded warriors, was very, very impressive.”
The soldiers — Nancy Schiliro, Michael Wilson, Bryan Wagner and Ben Lunak — had been wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. Two lost legs, one lost an eye, one suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Former NFL players Tedy Bruschi and Chad Lewis were also part of the group. It climbed to raise awareness for Wounded Warrior Project, which honors and empowers wounded service members.
It took five days to reach the summit, and Fisher said the last one was by far the toughest.
“In a 24-hour period we had 19 hours of hiking and 5 hours, if that, of sleep,” he told NFL Network.
Asked where it ranks among accomplishments in his life, Fisher didn’t hesistate: “It’s No. 1, there’s no question. There’s no question whatsoever. It was an incredible experience.”
The soldiers were a big part of that feeling. As the group neared the end of the descent, Fisher said he, Bruschi and Lewis slowed down to watch the soldiers complete the journey first.
“I couldn’t be more honored to be part of this,” he said.
And despite those difficult hours of grinding toward the summit, Fisher said the group already made a decision: “To a man, we’d all do it again given the opportunity.”
SOURCE:THE TENNESSEAN
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