Unfortunately, this version was heavily edited to fit a one hour time slot, so there was likely some detail that was missing from the showing, but it was nevertheless a solid program to watch as it chronicled last year's 13-day expedition to the South Pole, of which Britain's (not just England's, Matt Lauer) Prince Harry took part.
As some of you may know, the expedition involved three teams organized by Walking with the Wounded, Soldier On, and Soldiers for Summits: a British team, an American team, and a joint team from Commonwealth of Nations members Canada and Australia. Each team consisted of wounded veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and headed by an expedition leader.
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| Prince Harry demonstrating pulling a sled before his first Antarctic trek. |
Prince Harry lead the British team, being a two-time veteran of the Afghan war himself as a member of the British Army and a Patron of Walking with the Wounded. This was actually his second expedition to Antarctica, with the first one being in 2011.
The purpose of the Virgin Money South Pole Challenge was to raise funds for the respective charities - WWTW in the UK, Soldier On in Canada and Australia, and Soldiers for Summits in the USA. It also raised awareness of the trials and tribulations faced by wounded soldiers, as well their determination to not allow their battle scars to hold them back from living as normal a life as possible. The funds raised were to benefit people like them who are in need of assistance on several fronts as they reintegrate themselves into civilian life.
Wednesday night's program did a good job at highlighting the stories of American veterans who suffer from skin burns, blindness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other injuries. Indeed, it was inspiring to learn about these wounded hero's, and how they overcame the adversity of their injuries to join this effort in Antarctica.
The program also showed the team members going to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen in what probably was a once in a lifetime opportunity. As the Head of the Armed Forces of Britain, Canada, and Australia - as well as the mother and grandmother of servicemen - the Queen knows all too well about war and its consequences on others, and she seemed to take a genuine interest in the each of the team members.
As the program went on, we witnessed how the teams spent nearly two grueling weeks walking and pulling sleds through some of most hostile environments on Earth, characterized by a terrain of hard-packed snow and ice, temperatures dropping as low as -113ºF (-45ºC), and blustery wind conditions at times.
We see how the near-constant and extreme physical exertions take their toll on the veterans, and the harsh conditions provided more of a mountain to climb. Each of them had unique circumstances, such as a woman suffering from migraines due to her head injuries from a bomb blast, another veteran whose only guidance was hearing since he was blind, and there were some people were trekking with prosthetic body parts.
At times, team members had to be pulled out temporarily to receive advanced medical attention at the base camp, including Prince Harry himself, who suffered a headache that increasingly got worse by the day as the conditions bore down on him.
Fortunately, all of these expedition members returned in relatively short order - the Prince was back within 36 hours - and what we witnessed was the spirit of determination from people who have been through more in 20-30 years than what most of us will go through in a lifetime of 70-80 years. One veteran whose knees were heavily reconstructed said that the South Pole journey was just another step in his recovery to being the man he once was. Indeed, as the expedition continued, many of the veterans gained confidence in themselves as they became used to the conditions and kept a positive head.
The turning point of the expedition came at the end of stage one - about one-third of the way through - at which it was decided to abandon the race and combine the teams to make the rest of the journey together. Some members were disappointed at this, but others - Prince Harry among them - took the philosophical view that getting to the Pole and making the effort together was bigger and more important than the competitive aspect, which indeed it was.
Finally, the 200 mile trek ended came as the combined teams triumphantly reached the South Pole on December 13, 2013. The long journey was indeed a story of perseverance and of overcoming obstacles, and it was clear that the veterans came out the expedition for the better with renewed confidence about themselves and their lives going forward.
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| Prince Harry meeting a wounded American veteran last year at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. |
Prince Harry's participation was a good way of getting attention drawn toward the veterans who need help. He made remarks about serving with these people on the battlefield and of now recovering with them, so for him, this was a part of his military service and a commitment to his fellow comrades in arms.
The only real disappointment about the program was that it did not extensively profile the non-American team members, save for Prince Harry. This is understandable since this was aired in America, and only had a one-hour time slot (in contrast to two hours for the British broadcast). However, all veterans are important, and it would have been good for Americans to know of the sacrifices made by soldiers from other nations that have fought alongside us, and the trials and tribulations they face.
Aside from that, it was a nice program and any person who watched it ought to have had a greater appreciation for the work of the our allied armed forces.
Photo Credit: Walking With The Wound via Flickr cc, Military Health via Flickr cc
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