On June 13 of that year, he was helping a fellow marine who had just been hit by an improvised explosive device when a second IED went off, severely damaging both his legs.

After surgery at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC, Van Etten began his journey of recovery in San Diego, Calif. It was, by his own admission, a bit rocky for a while. “There was a lull when I hit a low point,” he said.

Van Etten pulled out of his slump when he began working out at a gym. “A light bulb went off; I realized that as a double amputee I wanted to give something back; I wanted to spread the message that everyone is special and has a purpose,” he said.

He took some modeling jobs, but many of these missed the mark. “A lot of people didn’t care about my message, they wanted to exploit me,” Van Etten said.

Earlier this year, a friend sent him a casting call from Jockey International seeking an amputee veteran. He accepted the job before finding out the premise of the campaign.

“After Jockey told me what the campaign was actually about, I got excited,” Van Etten said.“Jockey wants to show ‘what’s underneath’ and that is the image of strength and what people can do.”