Wounded Veteran Enlists Golden Retriever As Best Man On His Wedding Day

Justin Lanford was about to get married and he was looking for someone to be his best man.

After serving his country as a soldier in Afghanistan, Lanford first encountered Gabe, who would fulfill the role of best man at his owner’s wedding a few years later.

If this sounds like a typical story, it’s far from ordinary. Gabe is a Golden Retriever who became Lanford’s service dog after a diagnosis of PTSD left Lanford in a rough way.

Source: ABC News/YouTube

“I was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and we were in eastern Afghanistan in early 2012,” Lanford reported to ABC News.

“We struck an IED and it flipped my truck completely. I had bilaterally severed femurs which resulted in the amputation of my left leg.”

Though he survived, the soldier admits he was on edge, sweating profusely, and incredibly grumpy after the physical recovery. Through the Warrior Canine Connection, Lanford discovered Gabe.

Source: ABC News/YouTube

When a few years passed and Lanford proposed to his girlfriend, Carol, he knew Gabe would stand by his side for the ceremony.

After starting his new life with the help of his pooch, Lanford decided to foster puppies for the Warrior Canine Connection.

Watch the beautiful wedding day and learn more about the magic Gabe creates every day in the video below.

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