Marine Veteran Helps Fellow Veteran Hike Mt. Timpanogos
Aug 25, 2019, 4:57 PM | Updated: Aug 26, 2019, 10:49 am
MT. TIMPANOGOS – An incredibly humbling moment caught on camera Saturday at Mt. Timpanogos- Phil Casper posted on Facebook about running into two Marine veterans on his way down from a hike.
One U.S. Marine carried another U.S. Marine who had lost his legs while serving our country. The two Marines served together in Afghanistan.
“This is my buddy and I, we served together in the Marine Corps. We did a tour together in Afghanistan where I got injured at the end of the deployment…I stepped on an IED…I’ve stayed pretty close with my platoon members…we love getting out and doing brutal s— like this,” Jon Blank said in an interview at the summit.
“Testing mental fortitude today, we haven’t done it since Afghanistan so it’s good…” Johnathon Nelson said.
Casper wrote, “It was a powerful and inspiring experience to see them on their way.” Casper went on to write, “The disabled vet said he weighed 135 lbs. They were committed to reach the summit. Having just exhausted myself to reach the summit with less than 5 lbs on my back, it was hard to fathom the drive that the pair possessed to achieve their goal.”
In an update on the post, Casper wrote that he spoke to the man who got an interview with the two Marines at the top of the summit, Chris Baird, who said they made it to the top around 8 p.m.
