Ben Parkinson

Bessacarr born Ben Parkinson, a paratrooper turned unstoppable force, survived a 2006 landmine blast in Afghanistan that left him with injuries doctors said would end his walking, talking days. Instead, he grinned, got on prosthetic legs, carried the Olympic torch through his hometown, scooped an MBE, bagged the Freedom of Doncaster, and tackled everything from arctic treks to parachute jumps for charity. A champion for veterans and master of the cheeky comeback, Ben’s now even “officially hung” in Doncaster’s museum—his words, not ours.