Wounded Navy SEAL on top of world

[darrels joy]

Wounded Navy SEAL on top of world

By Steve Liewer


Monday, November 16, 2009 at 6:40 p.m.

Even Navy SEAL Elliott Miller's closest supporters weren't sure whether he could hoof it to the top of the tallest building in the Americas.

But there he was at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, emerging into the morning light on the 103rd floor of Chicago's Willis Tower.

“Everyone said it was the biggest smile they had seen on his face in three years,” Jason Jadgchew, Miller's trainer, said Monday.

Smiles have been hard-won for Miller, 31, a Coronado-based SEAL who was wounded Nov. 19, 2006, in a bomb and grenade attack in Ramadi, Iraq. He lost a leg, shattered a shoulder, suffered burns on more than 60 percent of his body and sustained a brain injury that has left him with limited speech.

Miller has gone through dozens of surgeries and thousands of hours of painful rehabilitation.

And now, after barely a month of training, he has reached what feels like the top of the world.

“The energy of the whole trip was just amazing,” said April Walter, Miller's girlfriend and one of 10 people who climbed the former Sears Tower's stairs with him.

Miller began his ascent just after midnight Sunday. He took a short rest after every five floors and a water break after every 10, Walter said. After every 25 floors, Miller removed his prosthetic leg, dried it and did some stretching exercises.

He “hit a wall” around the 85th floor. But thanks to a short rest and encouragement from his friends, he got up and tried again.

“(SEALs) would rather die than quit,” Jadchew said.

As Miller topped the 2,109th and last step, his friends and family engulfed him in hugs. After a celebratory dinner in Chicago and a good night's rest, he flew home Monday.

While nearing the top of his ascent, Miller started talking about his next challenge: the Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. When it opens in January, it will be the world's tallest skyscraper — nearly twice as high as the Willis Tower.

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