On October 7, 2006, U.S. Marine Sergeant Tyler Ziegel stood beside his bride, Renée Kline, for a wedding photograph in Illinois.
He was 23, just days away from his 24th birthday. Renée was about 21.
Two years earlier, a suicide bombing in Iraq had left Tyler with devastating injuries. He had survived months of treatment and hoped to rebuild his life.
Their wedding photograph traveled around the world. To many viewers, it captured the cost of war in a way battlefield images could not.
But the couple divorced the following year.
On December 26, 2012, Tyler died at 30. Investigators later determined that a combination of alcohol and drugs caused his death.
A Young Marine From Illinois
Tyler William Ziegel was born on October 16, 1982, in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Metamora.
He graduated from Metamora Township High School in 2001 and attended Marine Corps boot camp later that year.
Tyler deployed to Iraq in 2003 and returned for another deployment in 2004.
He was serving as a Marine when a suicide bomber attacked his vehicle during a patrol in December 2004.
The explosion changed his life.
The Bombing Left Him With Severe Injuries
Tyler sustained extensive burns and injuries to his head, face and hands.
He lost his left hand and several fingers on his right. He also lost sight in one eye.
Medical teams worked to save his life and reconstruct damaged tissue.
His recovery required multiple operations and a long stay at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.
According to his obituary, he spent about 19 months recovering there.
Tyler received the Purple Heart for his combat injuries.
Even after leaving the hospital, he faced practical and emotional challenges that would shape his life.
Renée Stayed With Him During His Recovery
Tyler and Renée Kline had known each other before his second deployment.
The couple became engaged after his first tour in Iraq.
When Tyler was seriously injured, Renée spent more than a year living near him during his hospital recovery, according to World Press Photo.
Their relationship became part of national coverage about the young Marine's return home.
In October 2006, they married in Illinois.
It was an important day for them, their families and the community that had followed Tyler's recovery.
A Wedding Photograph Became Famous Worldwide
Documentary photographer Nina Berman followed Tyler's recovery, homecoming and wedding for a project published by People.
On the wedding day, she accompanied Tyler and Renée to a commercial portrait studio.
Her photograph showed the couple standing together before a studio backdrop.
Tyler wore his Marine dress uniform. Renée wore a white wedding gown and carried red flowers.
The image did not resemble the conventional joyful wedding portraits many people expected.
Berman later explained that she saw two people whose lives had been profoundly affected by war.
In 2007, her photograph won first prize in the Portraits category of the World Press Photo contest.
The image became part of discussions about the human cost of the Iraq War.
Their Marriage Ended the Following Year
Tyler and Renée divorced in 2007.
The marriage had begun under extraordinary circumstances, with Tyler recovering from life-changing injuries and both adjusting to a future very different from what they once imagined.
Reports from the period described the difficulties the couple faced.
However, the exact reasons for their divorce should not be reduced to a single explanation.
It would also be unfair to blame Renée for Tyler's later death.
Their wedding photograph became famous, but it represented only one moment in a complicated relationship between two real people.
He Continued Living With the Effects of War
After returning home, Tyler tried to build a life around his family, friends and personal interests.
His obituary described his enjoyment of heavy metal music, guitars, his dogs and riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle trike.
He also hoped to build a home on rural property.
At the same time, he struggled with the practical consequences of severe disability.
In 2007, he publicly challenged the level of disability compensation he initially received from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
His case drew attention to how wounded veterans and their families navigate medical care, financial assistance and long-term recovery.
Tyler Died at Age 30
On December 26, 2012, Tyler died at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois.
Early reports discussed a fall outside a local establishment.
However, the subsequent coroner's investigation established a different cause.
In May 2013, Peoria County officials concluded that Tyler had died from the combined effects of alcohol and drug intoxication.
Toxicology findings included alcohol and morphine consistent with heroin exposure.
Authorities classified his death as accidental.
The finding is an important part of his story, but it does not establish why he had used the substances or allow conclusions about his private mental health.
His Community Remembered His Service
Friends, relatives and fellow Marines gathered to honor Tyler after his death.
Thousands of American flags lined roads near Metamora for his funeral.
His family remembered a man who loved his community, enjoyed music and took pride in being a Marine.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn later cited Tyler during his 2013 State of the State address as an example of courage and service.
The attention was a reminder that Tyler's life amounted to much more than an award-winning photograph.
The Story Behind the Photograph
Nina Berman's wedding portrait remains one of the most recognized images associated with injured Iraq War veterans.
It captured two young people trying to begin married life after an experience neither could have anticipated.
The marriage did not last. Tyler's life ended tragically six years later.
But the photograph also asks viewers to look beyond military statistics and consider the people who live with war's consequences long after the fighting ends.
Tyler Ziegel survived the battlefield, returned home and tried to build a future. His life deserves to be remembered for more than the photograph of his wedding day.
Editor's note: Tyler Ziegel's wedding took place in 2006, his divorce followed in 2007, and he died in December 2012. His death was ruled accidental after a coroner's investigation in May 2013. Nina Berman's award-winning wedding photograph is copyrighted and should not be republished without appropriate permission.
Sources: World Press Photo — Nina Berman's 2007 award-winning portrait; Salon — interview with Nina Berman, March 2007; Peoria Journal Star — Tyler Ziegel obituary; Krakow Photomonth — Nina Berman's Marine Wedding series; Nina Berman — remembrance of Tyler Ziegel.