JBER Soldiers conquer the Himalayas

  • Published
  • By Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Smith
  • 4/25th IBCT (ABN) Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Two Army officers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division recently became the latest ambassadors to a partner nation. The mission was to train with partnering nations and joint forces on mountain warfare operations in the Himalaya mountain range in Nepal.

First lieutenants Matthew Mitchell and Devan Zimmerman, who are scout platoon leaders with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, respectively, made their trip halfway around the world to Nepal in the beginning of August training and stayed through the latter part of September.

Mitchell and Zimmerman represented the United States as part of an international partnership class of students from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and Nepal.

Navy Lt. Justin Bowles, and Marine Sgt. Jeffrey Morrison, joint force service members from the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, joined the Army officers in representing the U.S.

The Nepal Army High Altitude and Mountain Warfare School in Jomsom sits at 9,500 feet above sea level, so first on the list was acclimatizing to the higher
elevations.

The team spent three weeks in Jomsom, training in various mountaineering tasks including rope-and-anchor systems, vertical face rock climbing and other rigorous physical tests of endurance.

A particularly challenging aspect was a 10-mile endurance test, which required students to finish in 100 minutes or less while wearing full uniforms, boots and rucksacks. At above 9,000 feet, the rocky and mountainous terrain around Jomsom proved to be challenging.

While both officers are skilled at mountaineering operations, the limited air pressure and low oxygen levels took some getting used to.

"I'd say the biggest challenge was the acclimatization," Zimmerman said. "Here (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson), I live at or around sea level, and when I get to Jomsom, its 9,500 feet in elevation, and it's just a huge change in breathing."

From Jomsom, they continued their mountain movements to a Glacial Base Camp near Muktinath where they conducted glacier training. Tasks included ice climbing, movements across a moraine-covered glacier, climbing with walking axes, moving in rope teams, and crevasse rescue.

The class was divided into four-man rope teams led by Nepalese team leaders, who are referred to as 'Tigers.'

Mitchell and Zimmerman were paired up in a team along with a master sergeant from the Republic of Korea Army.

The ending phases of the course progressed as the students continued their trek into the Thorong Pass, stopping at various base camps along their way to the culminating event, Thorong Peak, a mountain with an elevation nearly as high as Mount McKinley at 20,200 feet.

Mitchell, who used his experiences from the U.S. Army Alaska Northern Warfare Training Center's Basic Military Mountaineering Course and Assault Climbers Course as a bedrock for this training, said even though he and Zimmerman are both skilled in mountaineering operations, they had to remain focused while they persevered through the dangers and extended periods of movement in the extremely high elevations.

"It was more about remaining calm when you are on an 18-hour trek at 18-thousand, 20-thousand feet, going over a snow crevasse, which is 200 feet below you, but there is just enough snow in between it that you can safely walk quickly."

The extreme elevations continued to test the climbers as they pressed forward.

"Almost everyone in the course got some sort of altitude sickness or were showing signs of [acute mountain sickness]," Mitchell said.

Zimmerman also talked about the altitude challenges.

"When you get into Thorong Pass, where you get up to 20,000 feet eventually, although you are acclimatized, getting up into that higher elevation is difficult," he said. "Like every third or fourth step you're gasping for air, and then you just keep kick-stepping into the snow and ice to keep going up."

The pair was further challenged when their rope-team member from the Republic of Korea sprained his ankle and had to be belayed down the mountain several thousand feet to the snow line.

"We actually had to lower him down the mountain," Mitchell said. "It was an experience I will never forget."

Mitchell said the experience of all of the service members from all of the different countries roped together, helping each other, and working together to get to the 20,000-foot peak was a memorable experience.

"It's definitely something I will remember," Mitchell said. "I had a Korean soldier who barely spoke any English with a 'Tiger,' Nepalese instructor leading our rope team, who spoke no English."

"It was a unique opportunity," Mitchell continued. "Some of the advantages were the cultural immersions. I think working with all of the different countries and listening to other people's input is a valuable part of the training that I can take away from Nepal."

Living and training with their international partners was good training in itself, said Zimmerman, who shared some stories of his experience.

"On the first day, we were there having breakfast," he said. "We had curried potatoes for breakfast and one of the Canadian guys said 'Wow, these are great. I could have these every day.' And we did! We had curried potatoes every day, and every meal of every day."

Other frequent items on the menu included rice, noodles, meat and roti bread.

Zimmerman, who weighs morethan 200 pounds, said the Nepalese were surprised by his proportions.

"They were all amazed at my size, I guess because I outweighed probably the average Nepalese guy by 50 to 60 pounds," he recalled. "So, when they would ask me how much I weighed, I would tell them '100 kilos,' and it was astounding to them. They would be like, 'wow, that's twice my weight.'"

He said he had to explain to them that most people in America are larger.

"I forget my nickname, but it meant 'Big Man' in Nepalese," Zimmerman said.

The Spartan officers said they took away some good memories, but also some valuable training and lessons learned in operating in extreme altitudes.

As scout platoon leaders, some responsibilities are to lead a rifle company through a mountainous environment. They provide commanders with recommendations on how to move through the terrain, where to set up rope systems, what terrain is restrictive and severely restrictive, and how fast to safely move a unit through based on the elevation and terrain, Zimmerman explained.

A key takeaway from the training was the effects altitude has on operations and how important it is to plan for contingencies and pack additional safety gear.
Additionally, the professional exchange amongst all of the partner nations helped to strengthen international bonds.

"The experience was definitely unique," Mitchell said. "There's only [been] 50 Americans that have participated in the course since 1992, so I'm glad that I can say I represented our Army."

Zimmerman said mountaineering in the Himalayas was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"It was certainly an eye opener," Zimmerman said. "I got to climb a 20,000-foot peak. It was an amazing opportunity, I don't know if the Army will ever give me that chance again, so I was grateful."

Both officers said they plan to continue climbing and hope to summit another 20,000-foot peak, but staying local this time, with an attempt on Mount McKinley.