4. True dedication
Taylor Morris always set out to conquer the most challenging tasks, which is one of the reasons the 23-year-old made it into the Navy's Special Operations division. Morris' focus? Explosives. He knew the ins and outs of bomb detection and removal. But in May 2012, during his first deployment to Afghanistan, Morris stepped on an IED and lost both of his legs, his left arm from the bicep down, and his right hand. His girlfriend, Danielle Kelly, remains by his side. A series of photographs capturing their new life together — a day at the beach, Kelly hoisting Morris onto her back, or an afternoon at the the Walter Reed medical facility working out together — showed the two nobly enduring the hardship together. The photos went viral, and the couple captured the hearts of Americans who responded with donations so they could build their dream home on a lake.
