Alvin Shell lives in Virginia with his wife Danielle and their three sons, from left in front row, Sean, Jachin and Trey. He says he still feels the physical effects of being severely burned during an insurgent attack in Baghdad in 2004. But in other ways, he says his life is richer. “Sometimes you have to experience the bad to appreciate the good," he says. "As long as no one’s life is on the line, even my bad days feel pretty good.” Although he lives with constant pain, Shell says he pushes himself to live without limitations. (Photo courtesy of Alvin Shell)

Alvin Shell lives in Virginia with his wife Danielle and their three sons, from left in front row, Sean, Jachin and Trey. He says he still feels the physical effects of being severely burned during an insurgent attack in Baghdad in 2004. But in other ways, he says his life is richer. “Sometimes you have to experience the bad to appreciate the good,” he says. “As long as no one’s life is on the line, even my bad days feel pretty good.” Although he lives with constant pain, Shell says he pushes himself to live without limitations. (Photo courtesy of Alvin Shell)