Susan pushes Jace and Kylie around the backyard in his powered wheelchair. The couple spent little time together during Jaceís training and his deployment following their wedding on April 15, 2006. March 2007 was the first month that they could have a house to themselves, space of their own and could settle into their roles as husband, wife and parents. Despite Jace's injuries ìThis is the most normal [our relationship] has been,î said Susan.

Like the inside of a high school yearbook, friends and family wrote notes of congratulations, love and support on a photo of Jace and Susan Badia at their wedding in Clearwater on April 15, 2006. Their wedding was one of many life altering experiences to take place within a year of their whirlwind relationship. Jace was deployed to Iraq soon after, leaving Susan pregnant at home craving normalcy. "I had an awesome wedding, but it killed me that I didn't have my family," she said.

Tired and frustrated around 3 a.m., Jace and Susan tend to their 9-month old daughter, Kylee, who has been waking up screaming and crying on the hour every night. She has been sick most of the month first with conjunctivitis, a sinus infection and then a cold. Jace was absent from most of his daughter's early months because of his training and deployment and Kylee is not used to him. When he landed in Tampa at the beginning of his leave from Walter Reed it was only the third time father and daughter had seen each other. "Even though Kylee is 9-months old, Iíve only been a daddy for two weeks," he said at the time.

Jace hangs out with his boys after arriving home from Walter Reed for the first time. He regrets not being with his men in Iraq and blames the death of one of his comrades on his absence. "They are down two eyeballs and a trigger finger," he insisted.

Tempers flare as Susan and Jace fight about their responsibilities as parents the day after she invited over 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders and US Military Vets Motorcycle Club to surprise him. Jace was supposed to be watching Kylee and Susan came home to find her screaming and crying and Jace watching TV and elevating his leg. Susan claims that Jace doesn't take his role of father seriously and uses his legs as an excuse to get out of his duties. Jace feels that Susan asks too much of him and says that inviting the veterans over the other day was "a front." "I have nothing left to give you," yelled Susan who claimed she wanted a divorce. The problems that caused this argument were at the core of many other fights that month.

"Love and marriage, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage," sang Frank Sinatra softly over the speakers as Susan broke down in the SUV after her argument with Jace. "I never knew what it meant to love someone so much that it hurts. This is the worst way to figure it out," she muttered as she tried to collect herself before traveling a few blocks to her parent's house for advice and comfort. They suggested that she and Jace see a marriage counselor when they return to Washington D.C.

"I've always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy," said Spec. Jace Badia, 22, as he cleans what remains of his left leg. Simple tasks such baths have become complex, time consuming processes. Badia says that he had problems with his left toes and knee and he is better off without it. "Now I got a $30,000 leg that walks for me," he jokes, although he won't be able to fully use his prosthetic leg until his right leg heals. Although his post traumatic stress symptoms are minor, he occasionally has flashbacks of combat in the form of vivid dreams. Soon after waking up in the mornings he frequently coughs up sand that he inhaled during the blast that mangled his legs months ago.

Jace smokes a cigarette in his backyard one afternoon. He claims that he smoked two packs a day when he was in Iraq to deal with the constant stress and adrenaline. At 22, he has endured things that nobody ever should: ambushes, children strapped with expolisives, crumpled and lifeless bodies, multiple IEDs and the death of a best friend in combat. Although his post traumatic stress symptoms are minor, he occasionally has flashbacks of combat in the form of vivid dreams. Soon after waking up in the mornings he coughs up sand that he inhaled during the blast that mangled his legs months ago. He wants to quit smoking soon.

Friends and family react to Jace's wounds and treatment during a St. Patrick's Day party at his house. According to Jace, he has the most elaborate External Fixator on his right leg of any injured Iraq War veteran. "It should be called the "Devil's Boot,'" he joked. Motors once attached to the beams pulled apart the bone fragments as they grew together until his leg was close to its original length. It is still about an inch shorter than before the explosion, the bones have grown back crooked and scar tissue inside his calf and muscle atrophy will contribute to many more months of rehabilitation. Blood flow problems in his right leg add to agitation and fatigue. Despite his pain, he wants to return to Iraq and feels guilty for leaving his unit -- his brothers. "They are down two eyeballs and a trigger finger," he said.

Jace recoils in pain after his pant leg becomes caught in one of his wheels. Even months after the amputation, his left leg is sensitive. According to Jace, he has the most elaborate External Fixator on his right leg of any injured Iraq War veteran. "It should be called the "Devil's Boot,'" he joked. Motors once attached to the beams pulled apart the bone fragments as they grew together until his leg was close to its original length. It is still about an inch shorter than before the explosion, the bones have grown back crooked and scar tissue inside his calf and muscle atrophy will contribute to many more months of rehabilitation. Blood flow problems in his right leg add to agitation and fatigue. Despite his pain, he wants to return to Iraq and feels guilty for leaving his unit -- his brothers. "They are down two eyeballs and a trigger finger," he said.

"Kiss me!" demands Susan after helping Jace change his shorts. Jace's injuries have made certain tasks difficult, such as changing clothes, getting in and out of cars and using the bathroom. "I didn't marry his leg. Everything that is wrong with him can be fixed," she later insisted.