When he was in his late teens, Joshua Hargis knew he had a choice to make. “I wanted to rise above my circumstances and be the best I could, so I set my sights on the U.S. Army.” Josh graduated from the Army’s premier leadership course, Ranger School, and trained to become a K9 Handler. He served four deployments in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

During Josh's last deployment, tragedy struck while conducting a night raid in Kandahar. On October 9, 2013, Josh's unit entered an area littered with buried bombs. The enemy wore explosive vests concealed underneath their clothing. The circumstances were unimaginable. An explosion amputated both of Josh's legs. "Four members of our team died," he recounted. "Another soldier and I suffered battlefield amputations and countless others suffered severe injuries. And my K9 companion was killed."

Just one week before, Josh had learned his wife was pregnant with their first child. After his catastrophic injury, he had only one goal: To get back to his wife and unborn child.

"My wife raced to be by my side, fighting for me when I couldn’t."

Even after completing his medical treatment and rehabilitation, Josh wasn't done serving. He returned to the Ranger Regiment K9 training unit before medically retiring. A fellow Ranger who served with Josh the night of the attack told us, “With complete disregard for his own safety, even after his K9 partner Jany had been killed, Josh took off into a live minefield to render aid to another Ranger. That’s the kind of person Josh is. He is the most selfless individual I have ever had the privilege of working with. His tireless work ethic, spirit, soul, and love for his family are truly remarkable. There is not another man like him that I would trust with my life.”