An unsung hero
Jesse Cottle from Sandiego, California, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. A marine at the time, he went to do his patriotic duty, but Jesse, never dreamed that he'd come back a double amputee. Whilst fighting in action,
he stepped on a IED; improvised explosive device.
Amazingly, the scene was captured on film by a marine colleague who had a camera attached to his helmet. The scene was documented in a film called
Coming Home and shows the moment of actual impact. Jesse lost both his legs in the unfortunate event, and spent months recuperating in a hospital where he had to learn to walk again with the use of prosthetic legs. Undeterred by his disability,
Jesse soon learned to embrace life again and as part of his rehabilitation, he took to swimming.
The picture of love
Jesse's determined and positive attitude didn't go unnoticed for long. He attended a
swim meeting in San Diego where he met and fell in love with his future wife Kelly. The pair hit it off and never once saw his
loss of limbs as something that could hold back their obvious love for one another.
The couple celebrated their first anniversary in style by shooting some fabulous
family photos but one of them caught everyone's attention. The couple had paid a visit to Kelly's family in Boise, Idaho and decided to take a dip. Jesse, who removed his
prosthetic limbs to get in the water, was happy to be snapped on the back of Kelly who thought nothing of carrying her love to safe ground. The photo was posted on social media and immediately went
viral. We can totally understand why. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this pair have got it in spades.