Alex Minsky isn’t your average underwear model.
A former Marine, Minsky lost part of his right leg to a roadside bomb while fighting in Afghanistan in 2009. The explosion left the now 24-year-old decorated veteran in a coma for 47 days as he recovered from traumatic brain injuries and severe burns sustained in the bombing.
But this Purple Heart recipient would quickly prove that his amputation didn’t have to be a handicap.
When Minsky first returned home after the accident, he became depressed and, like many other vets returning from combat, ultimately turned to alcohol to manage his pain.
“I was down,” Minsky told ABC News. “I was numb and I was running away from everything…especially myself, my own head.”
But the war hero quickly decided he didn’t want to live his life this way and started pumping iron again as a healthy outlet for his frustration.
“I didn’t want to run anymore,” Minsky said. “I wanted to face my problems instead.”
Little did he know that the gym would be the very place he would catch his big break. A photographer, Tom Cullis, happened across Minsky mid-workout one day and asked if he ever considered a modeling career.
“At first I thought it was just another gay guy hitting on me,” Minsky told GuySpy.
“It was too hard to pass up,” Cullis said. “He had a movie star face with wild ink and sweat.”
And the rest is history. He may not be saving lives anymore, but he sure is making them a whole lot sweeter.
