Oscar Mike means “on the move” in Army jargon. Scott Manning has taken the expression to heart, embracing an organization and a movement of the same name that helps disabled veterans move on with their lives.
The Oscar Mike Foundation was launched in 2011 by Noah Currier, a quadriplegic who, facing debilitating depression, decided to be a leader instead of a victim. He decided to help wounded vets.
Manning calls Currier, his friend and mentor, a rock star.
“You push yourself to your limits whether you are disabled or not,” Manning said. That’s Currier’s belief, and that’s his, too.
Manning served 20 years in the Army with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He moved to Colorado in 2016 and joined the Estes Park branch of the American Legion Post #119 in 2021. That’s when he learned about Oscar Mike.
The Oscar Mike Foundation offers two clinics for veterans: one in Illinois, where OM is headquartered, and one in Estes Park. The first camping clinic was held at Rocky Mountain National Park in 2017.
Manning got involved five years later, and so did his wife, Carrie, who is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. The auxiliary makes breakfasts and lunches for the camping groups and provides logistical support.
Up to 10 disabled veterans — men and women — come to Estes Park for five days that include four-wheeling, hiking, camping, and ascending the 12,000-foot Toll Memorial Trail in RMNP. Two trips have been completed this summer, but there will be four more: July 6–10, July 20–24, Aug. 3–7, and Aug. 24–28.
Manning said watching and helping the group make its way up the highest handicapped-accessible trail in RMNP is awe-inspiring.
“We push them up and tether them back down,” he added. The photos taken at the summit are all smiles of pride and success.
Additionally — and Manning says this is really important — the group has dinner at the Legion Hall on Thursday evenings from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The gathering is open to the public. He invites friends, parents, supporters, and veterans to join the evening to meet the men and women on the week’s excursion and to listen to their stories.
“For us, the war is over, but the battle is not,” Manning said. Deployments and combat take a toll that only other veterans fully comprehend.
Manning said his father was a Vietnam veteran who absolutely never talked about his experiences in the war — until Manning came home from Iraq.
“He saw something in my eyes,” Manning said. Then they talked.
The Oscar Mike experience in Rocky Mountain National Park also gives veterans a chance to talk. They sit around the campfire and talk about hard things, not fitting in, what it feels like to be broken, and what it feels like to be heard.
“I call them my brothers and sisters because we’ve been there,” said Manning.
He said more than 60 of his friends have committed suicide since 2013. But none of the vets who have gone through Oscar Mike camps have committed suicide. Maybe that’s because they’re on the move mentally, emotionally, and physically.
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