There’s Good News Tonight: Marine Veteran Who Lost His Legs Takes Up Hiking

Transcript

Event Date(s): 11/10/2019 | Event Location(s): Utah, California | Description: INT KATE SNOW (00:25:38): Each step more difficult than the last. Two veterans, both carrying so much. Jonathan Blank and John Nelson served together in the same Marine platoon in Afghanistan. On a mission in 2010, an explosive blew up beneath Jonathan. EXT DAY UTAH MS: Jonathan Blank and John Nelson hiking Various shots of Jonathan Blank and John Nelson hiking STILLS Jonathan Blank and John Nelson Various photos of Jonathan Blank and John Nelson JONATHAN BLANK (00:25:54): I took a few steps and then everything just went white. Like, I just-- it was like instant, like, knockout. KATE SNOW (00:26:01): John rushed to stop the bleeding, saving his life. MS: Jonathan Blank and John Nelson JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:03): I wouldn’t be around here if it wasn’t for him and it wasn’t for, like-- JOHN NELSON (00:26:06): The whole-- JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:06): --just the top notch guys. JOHN NELSON (00:26:07): --the whole platoon. JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:08): Yes. JOHN NELSON (00:26:09): You know, awesome platoon of war fighters. JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:10): Yes. KATE SNOW (00:26:10): Jonathan ended up losing both his legs. After both left the military they stayed close. JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:16): I had to reinvent my whole life. KATE SNOW (00:26:17): Together, this summer they passed by a mountain near Jonathan’s home. JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:21): I’m like, man, that’s my favorite peak in Utah. I’ve always wanted to go to the top. And he started getting it in his head about, yeah, maybe I’ll-- maybe I’ll just take you up there. Finally said, yeah, I do, we’re doing it. I’m taking you up that mountain. KATE SNOW (00:26:31): And John did, carrying his friend on his back for fourteen miles. JOHN NELSON (00:26:37): I wanted to get him somewhere awesome and it had to do it by foot. KATE SNOW (00:26:40): They didn’t stop there, setting their sights on Mount Whitney in California, the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S., a twenty-two-mile hike so challenging, they couldn’t do it alone. So their friends and fellow vets stepped up. EXT DAY CALIFORNIA Aerial shot of mountains MS: Jonathan Blank and John Nelson on a mountain JOHN NELSON (00:26:54): When you leave the military and then you experience what we experienced, you-- you know, you-- JONATHAN BLANK (00:26:58): Puts you down because you miss the brotherhood. JOHN NELSON (00:26:59): Yeah. JONATHAN BLANK (00:27:00): Miss the camaraderie. You’re, like, in such a tight community and then suddenly you’re taken out of that. KATE SNOW (00:27:05): The summit is fourteen thousand feet up steep, rocky terrain. JONATHAN BLANK (00:27:08): Ready? JOHN NELSON (00:27:09): Let’s go. KATE SNOW (00:27:09): The hike expected to take so long, they had to start at 3 AM Friday. With each move they counted on each other’s trust, sharing the pain and the weight. There were times of doubt, dehydration, altitude sickness, exhaustion. But sixteen hours later, they made it. MS: Jonathan Blank and John Nelson hiking Various shots of Jonathan Blank and John Nelson hiking JOHN NELSON (00:27:27): Yeah. JONATHAN BLANK (00:27:29): 7 PM. Just summited. KATE SNOW (00:27:32): Jonathan, grateful for his teammates. JONATHAN BLANK (00:27:34): I’m happy to have-- have all of you in my life, that made this special. Like, I ask you to come here and do this and then to even see you guys, like, push out-- I mean, put out and, like, push yourselves, and like, probably do something you didn’t even know you could do. Like, love you guys. KATE SNOW (00:27:49): An epic climb. Just one more step on their journey together. JOHN NELSON (00:27:53): What I’ve learned from hanging out with Jon is-- is to never complain, to never give up, never-- just never quit. JONATHAN BLANK (00:28:02): It means the world to me. He never quits either, you know. And we’ll always, like-- we’ll always be in it together and knowing that you’ve got that-- you’ve got a boy that will always be by your side no matter what, that’s the best feeling in the world. MS: Jonathan Blank and John Nelson standing on a mountain