{"id":31458,"date":"2022-10-21T04:08:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T04:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:58:32","slug":"this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a 2021 competition for athletes with physical disabilities, Marine Corps veteran Annika Hutsler met a 10-year-old girl who, like her, had<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/off-duty\/2017\/10\/22\/marine-amputee-tackles-a-month-of-marathons\/\" target=\"_blank\"> a leg amputation below the knee.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The girl\u2019s mother asked Hutsler what she did for a living. Hutsler \u2015 whose ad for fitness brand Athleta had just come out \u2015 had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/off-duty\/2018\/07\/30\/from-marine-to-role-model\/\" target=\"_blank\">recently left the Marine Corps and had started modeling.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis little girl\u2019s eyes lit up,\u201d Hutsler said. \u201cShe\u2019s like, \u2018Mom! That\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2021\/08\/30\/pin-ups-for-vets-releases-2022-calendar-to-raise-money-for-veterans\/\" target=\"_blank\">the girl from the magazine.\u2019\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt hit me at that moment: This little girl is 10 years old, from a middle-of-nowhere Texas town. She\u2019s the only girl in her whole school who looks like her \u2014 probably the only girl in her whole town who looks like her. And now she\u2019s opening up a mainstream magazine that they just happen to get, and they see somebody who looks like her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Los Angeles-based Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger \u2014 work she said she enjoys because it allows her to serve as a role model for others with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She appeared as Miss November in the 2023 fundraiser calendar for Pin-Ups For Vets, a nonprofit geared toward helping injured and ill veterans. <a href=\"https:\/\/pinupsforvets.mybigcommerce.com\/2023-pin-ups-for-vets-calendar\/\" target=\"_blank\">The calendar features 13 female veterans<\/a> with 101 combined years of military service, according to the organization\u2019s founder, Gina Elise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pin-Ups For Vets finds its calendar models through a casting notice on social media, Elise said. Two amputees, both Marine veterans, have been featured in a Pin-Ups For Vets calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2018\/07\/30\/from-marine-to-role-model\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/KIRSTIE-ENNIS-USMC-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">From Marine to (role) model: Wounded warrior strikes a pose to benefit fellow veterans<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It wasn&#039;t until six years after the accident that caused her to lose her left leg that Marine veteran Kirstie Ennis put on high heels for the first time.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutsler is now an athlete who competes in high-level adaptive sports and has modeled for popular brands. But when she enlisted in the Corps in 2017, her plan was more straightforward: earn a commission through the enlisted commissioning program and serve 20 years before retiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had started considering the military in her senior year at Northern Arizona University on the advice of a friend. She had spoken to recruiters from each branch, but the Marine Corps stood out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutsler enlisted three days after receiving her bachelor\u2019s degree. At boot camp, she worked hard at her training, she said, and even became a squad leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But about halfway through recruit training, she noticed a pain in her right foot. Her drill instructor told her she was probably overreacting and that her body eventually would adjust to the stresses of boot camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI kept that mindset,\u201d Hutsler recalled. \u201cI was like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m just being weak. It\u2019s going to get better, and I\u2019m going to get stronger, and it\u2019s going to be fine.\u2019 And then it never did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navy medical at Twentynine Palms, California \u2014 where Hutsler began training to become an electronics maintenance technician \u2014 at first diagnosed her with a stress fracture. About nine months later, however, she found out that she had a tumor growing in her foot. And it was growing fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2018, she was sent to the West Coast\u2019s Wounded Warrior Battalion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After months of medical procedures \u2014 including multiple invasive surgeries \u2014 Hutsler asked her doctor how long she had before she would have to amputate her leg. The doctor gave her five to 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cut it off now, Hutsler told the doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1058\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7387821.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7387821.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7387821.jpg.jpg?resize=284,300 284w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7387821.jpg.jpg?resize=768,813 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7387821.jpg.jpg?resize=968,1024 968w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annika Hutsler competes in a track race at the 2022 DoD Warrior Games in Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 25, 2022. (Cpl. Mitchell Johnson\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI had just turned 22 at the time,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI was like, I\u2019m not going to waste my 20s knowing that I\u2019m going to get my leg cut off. I\u2019d rather be able to live a successful life with amputation than wait around for an amputation to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before getting her right leg amputated below the knee, Hutsler reached out to other amputees on social media for guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comforted by their support, and fed up with the endless pain and surgeries of the past few years, she found hope in her upcoming amputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>\u2018Life doesn\u2019t go as planned\u2019<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutsler got the amputation in April 2019 and quickly returned to physical activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By that June, she was competing in the Paralympic-style Department of Defense <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2019\/07\/01\/the-2019-warrior-games-drew-record-number-of-athletes-and-crowds\/\" target=\"_blank\">Warrior Games<\/a> \u2014 and bringing home silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter wheelchair races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With support from a Wounded Warrior Battalion program, she explored less mainstream sports, like archery and wheelchair rugby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since her amputation, Hutsler has competed in snowboarding, track, field, shooting, swimming, archery, wheelchair rugby and seated volleyball. She also does other sports, like rock climbing, wake surfing, ocean surfing, yoga and golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After medically retiring as a lance corporal in January 2020, Hutsler has continued to compete in events geared toward disabled troops and veterans. At the Warrior Games in Orlando, Florida, in August, she picked up 10 medals in six sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo me, medals aren\u2019t the end goal,\u201d she said. \u201cThe real thing is seeing how far I\u2019ve come and seeing that, \u2018Hey, just a couple years ago, I was sitting in my barracks room in so much pain on so much medication, and now I\u2019m out here doing all these events with one leg.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"910\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/annika.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/annika.jpg.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/annika.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/annika.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/annika.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annika Hutsler snowboards in April 2021 at Copper Mountain in Colorado. (Annika Hutsler)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Snowboarding holds special meaning for Hutsler, who fell in love with the sport while in college and whose No. 1 goal after her amputation was to go again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using a snowboarding-specific prosthetic, she was up on a board eight months after her amputation. Now, she hopes to qualify for the 2026 Paralympics in the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to her athletic training, modeling and many doctors\u2019 appointments \u2014 between two and 10 a week \u2014 Hutsler said she hopes to do more public speaking in the next few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2021\/08\/30\/pin-ups-for-vets-releases-2022-calendar-to-raise-money-for-veterans\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ashley-USAF-Veteran.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pin-Ups For Vets releases 2022 calendar to raise money for veterans<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Pin-Ups For Vets has visited nearly 15,000 hospitalized veterans and donated over $80,000 toward veterans\u2019 healthcare programs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One key message she likes to share with people, she said, is the importance of adapting when life doesn\u2019t go according to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf everything went my way, I would probably be a captain in the Marine Corps right now and on my way to 20 years, but, obviously, that didn\u2019t happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s OK that life doesn\u2019t go as planned. You can make a life that\u2019s so great, even after tragedy, even after illness. There\u2019s still life to be lived, even when you think that your plans all went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":63631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["news","your-military","home","left-column","newsletters","good-news-report","veterans"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"4":{"categories":["news","your-air-force","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","veterans"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"5":{"categories":["news","your-army","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","veterans"],"primary_category":"veterans"},"7":{"categories":["news","your-navy","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","veterans"],"primary_category":"veterans"}}},"categories":[101,23,92,12,25,19,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3360],"class_list":["post-31458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ND5DAN7445G4DEGIITRSWSPMBM","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Irene Loewenson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Irene Loewenson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1047,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Veterans\",\n\t                \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/21\\\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports - Marine Corps Times","description":"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports","og_description":"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00","author":"Irene Loewenson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Irene Loewenson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports","datePublished":"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/"},"wordCount":1047,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Veterans","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/","name":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-21T04:08:09+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:58:32+00:00","description":"The Los Angeles-based Annika Hutsler has acted in commercials, appeared in print ads for Target and walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2022\/10\/21\/this-marine-went-from-a-leg-amputation-to-modeling-and-elite-sports\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"This Marine went from a leg amputation to modeling and elite sports"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ESX4XA3KMFFRRER22SU73PPGQU.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31458"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95364,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31458\/revisions\/95364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31458"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=31458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}