According to the BBC, the "Walking With The Wounded" Antarctic expedition led by British Prince Harry held a flag-presenting ceremony in central London on the 14th, during which Prince Harry received an Antarctic flag. Speaking at the ceremony, Prince Harry said that as the British military mission in Afghanistan winds down, people must not forget to properly care for those who have been injured in service.
Prince Harry and a group of servicemen who were injured and disabled during missions are about to embark on a charity trek to Antarctica. Harry and four teammates will fly to Cape Town, South Africa, on the 17th, and then fly to Antarctica two days later. Once in Antarctica, they will spend some time acclimatizing to the extreme cold and altitude before beginning their 335-kilometer trek.
"The Antarctic charity trek has one goal only — to remind people to care about those who have been disabled in service," said Prince Harry. Trekking to the South Pole with wounded veterans will prove that "even if you’ve lost a leg or an arm, or are dealing with illness or injury, there’s nothing you can’t do with determination and perseverance." He added that the trek is also meant to remind people that although the mission in Afghanistan no longer makes frequent headlines, soldiers still need continued support.
In September this year, Prince Harry, an Army Air Corps pilot who served in Afghanistan, along with his four teammates — all amputees injured in Afghanistan — spent a night in an Army training facility with temperatures of minus 35 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of 72 kilometers per hour to simulate conditions for the Antarctic trek.
Once in Antarctica, they will face temperatures below minus 45 degrees Celsius and winds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). They plan to trek 15 to 20 kilometers per day while pulling sleds weighing 70 kilograms each, and may encounter huge crevasses, moving ice shelves, glaciers, and blizzards along the way.
In addition to the British team represented by Prince Harry, there are also two other teams of injured veterans from the United States and the Commonwealth (Australia and Canada). The three teams will begin their treks on November 30, competing to see which team reaches the Geographic South Pole first.