Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Military

Marine Veteran Gets Piggyback Ride From Wife - Photo Goes Viral (Video)

Jesse and Kelly Cottle are San Diego newlyweds with model good looks - but that's not why a recent photo taken of them has gone viral. The snapshot shows Kelly giving Jesse, a Marine veteran who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, a piggyback ride.

The couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary on August 18. They were enjoying a family vacation this summer in Idaho when a professional photographer named Sarah Ledford snapped the photo of Kelly carrying Jesse.

Ledford posted the picture on her Facebook page, and it captured the imagination of wounded veterans and able-bodied civilians alike. At this writing, the photo has been "Liked" more than 19,000 times, and "Shared" nearly 5,000 times.

Advertisement

Ledford told the British website Daily Mail.co.uk:

"Overwhelming, I can't even keep up with my page. The picture just blew up, America just fell in love with Jesse and Kelly."

The story of the Cottles has been covered by scores of media outlets, from Huffington Post and The Hollywood Gossip, to People magazine and Fox News.

I've posted ABC News' feature on the couple up top.