You need only ask any veteran or soldier, and they’ll tell you of the unbreakable bond formed between people who serve together.
Jonathan Nelson and Jonathan Blank indeed prove this to be true. The two vets, who became fast friends since their service days, still love to go hiking in the woods together — even though Blank lost both of his legs in combat.
Nelson and Blank served in the same special operations unit of the Marine Corps in Afghanistan 10 years ago, but unfortunately, Blank was injured in an explosion.
But that certainly hasn’t stopped the soldier, not at all…
Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathon Blank lost his legs when an improvised explosive device detonated next to him in Afghanistan.
He turned heads this weekend when he hiked to the top of Mount Timpanogos. Blank's Marine buddy, John Nelson, carried him on his back. https://t.co/1HnlL15vVC
— CNN (@CNN) August 28, 2019
According to Fox59, Nelson was driving past Mount Timpanogos in Utah when he came up with the idea, “I’m going to take Jonathan to the top of that, by myself.”
Of course, Nelson and Blank were no strangers to facing down adversity together.
“We shared a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to where we were, and it was all worth it,” Blank said.
Nelson was standing close to Blank when the IED exploded, costing the soldier both of his legs.
“I thought this would be something epic for him to experience, to actually get to the saddle,” Nelson said.
And epic it most definitely was! Nelson managed to climb 14.3 miles with Blank, who weighs 135 pounds, on his back, achieving 4,500 feet of elevation.
“Not only have I lived through this, but we’re also special operations guys,” Blank said. “We can do anything. We can maybe instill that mindset into other people.”
May God bless you, Nelson and Blank for your service to your grateful nation and your inspirational friendship!
Please be sure to share their story with your friends and family.