Brought together by a blast: Jody and Alannah's story

If it weren't for an anti-personnel landmine, Jody Mitic and Alannah Gilmore would likely never have fallen in love.

In January 2007, Mitic had just turned thirty years old and was on his third tour of duty with the Canadian Forces. A master corporal and elite sniper, he and his team were tasked with confronting the Taliban in the dangerous Panjwaii District. Gilmore, a sergeant and combat medic, was there too – lending support to soldiers in an area accounting for the majority of Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan. 

Stationed together in an abandoned Afghan village, the two began to get to know one another.

On Jan. 11, Mitic and his sniper team set out in the dead of night. With their night vision goggles illuminating the way, the team moved on foot towards a nearby village thought to be harbouring Taliban soldiers. 

The team passed through a narrow opening in a wall that surrounded a farmer's field. That's when Mitic, the last to go through, stepped on something buried in the ground: a landmine with a Russian mortar bomb underneath.

When it first went off, I was just kind of weightless. I couldn't see because my eyes automatically closed.- Master Cpl. Jody Mitic (Ret'd) 

Gilmore and her medical team were among the first dispatched to Mitic's location. 

Things didn't look good – Gilmore didn't even recognize Mitic, his face covered with dirt and blood. 

"It wasn't until she popped her head in the back, on the drive to the safe helicopter landing zone, that we realized it was each other," said Mitic. 

I was devastated for him, because I knew the extent of his injuries would ultimately end his career. I was just happy he was going home because we had friends who didn't.- Sgt. Alannah Gilmore

Within a week, Mitic was back on Canadian soil. The explosion took his right foot and damaged his left so badly that it had to be removed in surgery. He began what would be a long and difficult recovery. 

By September, Mitic had moved back to Petawawa, where he and Gilmore were both stationed. His relationship had ended, his recovery was ongoing, and he was struggling with loneliness and depression. That's when Mitic began seeking out those that had been part of his rescue. 

But there was one person he couldn't seem to track down. Gilmore was back at work at CFB Petawawa, but fate seemed destined to keep them apart... until Mitic went to the bar one night. He saw her from across the room.

"I grabbed her arm. And that's when her other arm cocked back like a shotgun, ready to let me have it," laughed Mitic.

Realizing it was him, Gilmore hugged Mitic. The two spent the rest of the evening reconnecting as comrades and friends. 

Mitic and Gilmore say they weren't looking for romance that night.

The two veterans, having spent years in Afghanistan, were seeking people who understood the difficult things they had been through. 

A big part of it was having a chance to heal. It ended up becoming a very important time for both of us.- Sgt. Alannah Gilmore

Jody Mitic and Alannah Gilmore now live in Ottawa with their two daughters. 

Mitic has embarked on a new journey, appearing on the Amazing Race Canada and becoming an Ottawa city councillor. He's written a book about his experiences in the military, called Unflinching: The Making of a Canadian Sniper.