J.R. Martinez
Less than one month after J.R. Martinez arrived in Iraq in March 2003, the Humvee he was driving hit a land mine. Three soldiers were ejected from the burning vehicle; Martinez remained trapped inside. Forty percent of his body was burned, and he spent a gruesome 34 months at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he underwent 33 surgeries including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. Recovering from such severe injuries led him to become a motivational speaker as well as a soap star. He joined ABC's now defunct daytime drama, All My Children, in 2008 as Brot Monroe, an Iraq War veteran who was injured in combat. But capping off his comeback was a spot this year on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, an especially impressive feat considering that eight and a half years ago his mother was teaching him how to walk again. On Nov. 22, he nabbed the season 13 championship over Rob Kardashian. While we couldn't be more grateful for Martinez's service, or happy he has regained his health, we're also really glad a Kardashian didn't beat out an Iraq War veteran — what would that have said about America?