Climber Profile: Staff Sgt. Brian E. Bailey

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brehl Garza | Staff Sgt. Brian E. Bailey' an instructor at the Northern Warfare Training Center, the Army's premiere Cold weather and mountaineering school, poses for a photo during a cold Alaska day.  

FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK, UNITED STATES

04.30.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. Patricia McMurphy 

United States Army Alaska

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Utah — Staff Sgt. Brian E. Bailey, a cavalry scout serving as an instructor at the Northern Warfare Training Center, said he joined the Army before 9/11 because “it was just the right thing to do.”

“I wanted to a fun, combat arms job, and then get out and go to college –but I liked it so much, I stayed,” Bailey said. “It’s the best way to get an edge on life – to mature into a full-fledged adult.”

The Batavia, Ohio native has been in Alaska since 2004 and had dealt with the cold, but had not attempted skiing or rock climbing until he came to the courses offered at the NWTC.
He said he was interested in becoming an instructor and a friend of his teaching at NWTC encouraged him to go for it.

“I believe what we do here is a needed skill,” Bailey said. “It’s nice to teach technical and tactical skills that are both physically and mentally challenging.”

“[soldiers need to] be physically fit, very physically fit when they come to the courses here,” Bailey said. “Be prepared for the amount of information you’re going to get. There’s not a lot of room for mistakes.”

“When soldiers come through and graduate and say they can use this in the future,” Bailey said, “I feel I have accomplished something.”

Being an instructor at the school has many other benefits besides the job satisfaction according to Bailey.

He said he likes “anything outdoorsy” and the NWTC gives him plenty of time to train and enjoy the outdoors in both the summer and winter seasons.

Bailey has had the opportunity to climb several mountains since being an instructor at the NWTC, such as Gunny Sack 1 and 2, White Princess and Rainbow Mountain.

This month, Bailey will be one six NWTC instructors attempting to summit Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America at more than 20,000 feet above sea level - higher than any of these instructors have climbed before.

“Putting our name – the Army name –on that hill, shows we are the best at what we do,” Bailey said.

During the train up for the summit, the team used a hyperbaric chamber to experience what it would be like at the extreme elevations.

“It was interesting to get a feel of what a lack of oxygen is like,” Bailey said. “They took us to a height higher than we will be and then down to 19,000 feet.”

• Date Taken: 04.30.2012
• Date Posted: 09.06.2012 14:57
• Story ID: 94323
• Location: FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK, US