One climber just beginning his trek up Mount Everest at the time of the avalanche is a Marine veteran who lost his right leg in the war in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Charlie Linville and Heroes Project Founder Tim Medvetz were photographed at base camp the day before an avalanche swept down the south side of the mountain, killing 17 climbers and Sherpas.
Linville had his right leg amputated after being hit by an explosive device in Afghanistan. The Marine veteran who was once based on Camp Pendleton recuperated with the help of the staff at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego.
For a time after Saturday’s deadly earthquake, Charlie's friend and fellow veteran, Military Ambassador for The Heroes Project Mark Zambon, waited for word the San Diego team was uninjured.
Hours later, the organization posted a message on Facebook to report the two climbers were ok and that their hearts go out to the people of Nepal and their loved ones.
“They were not impacted by this that they were on the north side of Everest as they had planned,” Zambon said.
The group has not decided whether to continue or postpone this climb once again because of the tragedy.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
This 2015 Everest trip is Linville’s second attempt to make the summit. In April 2014, an avalanche killed 13 people and prompted a widespread walkout by the Sherpas.
Linville has been training for three years, Zambon told NBC 7.
The Heroes Project helps wounded military members overcome life changing injuries by climbing major mountains.
Most attempts to reach Everest's summit are made in mid-May, when a brief window normally offers better weather.
