Army Rangers live by a creed. A central tenet to the Ranger Creed is to never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of our enemies. As such, we carry our dead both literally and figuratively, because those we lost leave wounds that never heal. As a means to healing those wounds I have carried my friend Tim’s memorial bracelet with me on all my travels and adventures, but have continued to feel the pain of his loss.
While climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park several years ago I shot a photograph of that bracelet atop an ice axe on the summit. That simple act facilitated a sense of catharsis in a way that I had not experienced prior. Since that day I have been taking similar photographs from atop other mountains and posting them on social media as a way to keep my friends memory alive.
It has been said that one is never truly gone until being forgotten by the living. To honor the fallen Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment I will be climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, as well as several other objectives. The purpose of this is to memorialize our fallen brothers and to keep their memories alive.
In order to give this project intrinsic meaning I will be taking photographs of fallen Ranger’s memorial bands from atop all the peaks. The end goal is to publish a book in their honor and have 100% of the net proceeds go towards non-profit organizations that support veterans and Gold Star Families.
As General George S. Patton so eloquently put it, “it is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”
