West Point Grad Leads Charge on Denali Despite Combat Injuries

American Forces Press Service ^ | Samantha L. Quigley

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2009 – Summiting the highest peak in North America, will make Marc Hoffmeister’s other challenges, like earning his commission as an Army officer by graduating from West Point, seem like a mole hill, by comparison.

Army Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister is among four wounded warriors attempting to summit Alaska's Mount McKinley, or Denali, the highest point in North America, June 1, 2009. Courtesy photo  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Mount McKinley, known simply as ‘Denali,’ in Alaska’s Denali National Park, challenges even the most expert climbers. Hoffmeister and three other veterans will face those difficulties, as well as others resulting from their combat injuries, but he’s not letting anything deter him from attaining his goal.

“I started planning this [climb] very early in my recovery and it’s been both all-consuming and rehabilitative,” said the team leader for ’Operation Denali.’ “The drive to complete this ‘mission’ set the conditions for me to develop the skills I’ve always yearned to possess.”

Nearly 15 years after graduating from West Point, the now-Lt. Col. Hoffmeister found himself in Iraq conducting a combined patrol with the Iraq army as an embedded trainer.

It was April 22, 2007, when the patrol was hit by a roadside bomb just north of Hillah, along alternate supply route Jackson. The blast severely damaged Hoffmeister’s left arm, causing broken bones and nerve damage. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury and, as he puts it, “The pleasure of accompanying shrapnel popping out on odd occasions.”

“I have more titanium than bone in my left arm now, and my elbow is more a collection of plates and screws than an elbow,” Hoffmeister said.

He said he considers his rehabilitation ongoing because of slow nerve growth and recovery. He had a nerve transplant from his left leg and was initially hospitalized for two months. He then received home health care for an additional two months, during which his brigade commander in Iraq called and asked him to take over the brigade’s rear detachment.

“He stated to me very simply that he figured, ‘Anyone with two arms is still only half as good as Hoffmeister with one arm, so would [you] mind taking command of the brigade rear detachment?’” Hoffmeister said. “How do you say no to a question like that?

“So after a brief pity party, I got back to work and assumed command of the brigade rear detachment [with] the catheter line still in my arm [and] oxycodone and Lyrica tempering the pain,” he added. “It was a godsend.”

The duties gave him a purpose and a focus, and he could relate to the large population of wounded in the brigade’s rear detachment, he said. It kept him looking beyond his personal obstacles and moving forward.

Hoffmeister’s injury has forced him to figure out how to modify equipment so he can return to activities he enjoyed before his injury. For instance, all the gears that once resided on the left side of his bike have found a new home on the right. He also uses a padded glove and a wrist strap on his left hand to compensate for hypersensitivity and reduced grip strength.

His injuries also affected his climbing techniques. “It’s forcing me to learn how to become a much more technically adept climber, as I can’t rely on the strength or dexterity of my left arm or hand,” he said. “So my lower body technique and positioning must change to reduce the strain and extend my endurance.”

The injury, which causes constant pain, has provided Hoffmeister with a new perspective on life, as well.

“I embrace life’s experiences far more than in the past because I am far more aware of the blessings that each new day brings,” he said. “I’ve also realized that the combined virtue of my experiences being severely wounded and my rank and position have enabled me to assist other wounded warriors experiencing similar challenges.

“I feel a personal responsibility to assist, motivate or support my fellow wounded warriors in any way that I can,” he added.

When asked what has been his greatest triumph since being injured, he’s hesitant to provide a concrete answer, mainly because he’s hoping that answer will change in a few weeks.

“I’ll tell you after the climb!” he said.

Hoffmeister has served on active duty since graduating from West Point 17 years ago. He’s the chief engineer for Alaskan Command/Joint Task Force Alaska at Elmendorf Air Force Base and lives in Eagle River, Alaska, with his wife, Gayle, and two Jack Russell terriers, Max and Bailey.

Gayle also will make the climb with the Operation Denali team as a peer mentor. The group set out for base camp on June 1 and expects to complete their trek by June 22.

Related Sites:
Operation Denali
Denali
U.S. Army

Related Articles:
Wounded Warriors Set Out to Conquer North America’s Highest Peak
Special Report: Operation Denali

[waterhill]

Cool!

[Bravo96]

He was my company commander in basic training in ‘98 (C Co. 1-43 Inf. “Dragoons”). Charlie Rock, Sir!

[alicewonders]

They changed the name of Mt. McKinley?

[sionnsar]

Mount McKinley, known simply as ‘Denali,’

Is this PC or is there some other element in the two names?

Just asking.

[SandRat]

They changed the name of Mt. McKinley?

Kathy?

[SandRat]

Mount McKinley, known simply as ‘Denali,’

Is this PC or is there some other element in the two names?

Just asking.

Kathy

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the ping. The Army is blessed with so many such soldiers. Must be an engineer?

[Kathy in Alaska]

We can see the top of this view on clear days from the Tudor Road overpass.

Up here it is Denali, the Great One, the name the natives have always used. It got changed somewhere along the line, maybe to differentiate betwen Denali National Park and the mountain, but in 1980 it was changed back to Denali.

[TADSLOS]

Great image. Denali is on my bucket list for places to shoot landscapes and wildlife.

[TADSLOS]

Great story!

[alicewonders]

WOW! Awesome picture! Thank you for the explanation. I like the name Denali better! My brother is planning a driving trip next summer to Alaska & wants me to come with him. If I can figure out a way, I’m going. What a beautiful place!

[rangerwife]

How far away from Denali was that picture taken? I’m asking because when I went to AK, I went to Talkeetna. I remember seeing the mountain from there and it was so clear it was surreal. And Talkeetna is quite a bit aways from Denali, isn’t it? I have some pictures of it somewhere around here. Alaska is beautiful!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Talkeetna, roughly midway between Anchorage and the entrance to Denali National Park, is a town of about 500 that swells in size from April through July as mountain climbers gather to prepare for their assaults on Mount McKinley. They are flown from Talkeetna on ski planes to base camp, a large tent community on a glacier about 7,000 feet above sea level. They then face a 13,000-foot climb to McKinley's south summit, 20,320 feet above sea level.

Although Talkeetna is 90 miles away from McKinley, visitors may get as good views of it from an overlook on the road approaching Talkeetna as they would from within Denali National Park. That's because the park entrance is no closer than is Talkeetna to McKinley's summit, and the closest road approach within the park is about 30 miles from the peak. Moreover, McKinley is often shrouded in clouds and many visitors to the park never get a glimpse of it while there.

Talkeetna

[rangerwife]

Thanks for the info! For some reason, I was thinking Talkeetna was further away than that...it’s already been 10 years since I was there. Time flies!

[ASOC]

Mt McKinley is still Mt Mckinley, the Park name was changed (after much fussing from folks who actually live here in Alaska) to Denali Park.

Locals all refer to the mountain as Denali. A Native word that (roughly) trnaslates to “the big one” or “the great one”

I can see it from my back porch here in Anchorage - can’t see Russia tho....