Summit for Soldiers mountain climbing to break silence of suicide

Veteran, climber elevates battle against suicide with Everest ascent
Clintonville man hopes to climb seven giant peaks to help veterans with PTSD
ThisWeek Community News
By KEVIN PARKS
Monday March 10, 2014

There, the retired Navy corpsman with the U.S. Marines Corps planted a Summit for Soldiers flag bearing the names of "some of the warriors we have lost to suicide and the Silent Wounds of War," Fairman wrote in an email.

Next up: Everest, the holy grail for mountain climbers.

Clintonville resident C. Michael Fairman hopes to scale the northeast ridge, the "mountaineer's route," of Mount Everest in about five weeks.

"It's a huge challenge," Fairman said last week. "This is a huge, huge mountain. I'm excited, terrified and just happy to be able to take on this challenge."

Fairman isn't doing it just to say he did -- although he will be proud of his accomplishment, as he will be if his dream of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest mountain in each continent, is realized.

What motivates Fairman is the knowledge that every 60 to 80 minutes in the United States, a veteran commits suicide -- almost 8,000 a year. Fairman hopes by attracting followers to his Summit for Soldiers page on Facebook, he will increase awareness of the issue and convince lawmakers to take steps to prevent soldiers, sailors, Marines and other ex-service members from taking their own lives as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder or mild brain injury suffered while on duty.

"That will be the motivation to get to the top of Everest," he said.
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