By KAREN CIMMS

kcimms@tnonline.comBecause someone puts on the uniform of an American soldier doesn't necessarily make him or her a hero.A perfect example would be 20-year-old Army Spc. Caleb Barnes, who was just charged in the stabbing death of his 14-year-old girlfriend's mother.Being injured, even horrifically, doesn't necessarily elevate someone to hero status. Someone who wasn't a good person before a devastating injury won't automatically become one after the wounds heal.It's not the grand gesture of standing behind the flag or the heartbreaking image of lying in a hospital bed that makes someone a hero. It's what the person does that counts.I rarely watch TV. There are things I'd much rather do with my free time, like read. A few weeks ago, however, I set the DVR to record the current season of "Dancing with the Stars." I do this for one reason: Noah Galloway.I first learned of Noah about a year ago when someone I knew posted a picture of him online. Handsome and extremely fit, he wore nothing but a kilt, a black wrist band and a red running shoe. It was what you didn't see that made him stand out at first.An Iraqi war veteran, Noah is missing his left arm, from above the elbow, and his left leg, from above the knee. In its place he wore a blade runner.At the time, Noah was competing to be on the November cover of Men's Health magazine as 2014's "Ultimate Guy." The winning candidate had to be "fit and fearless, a doer who gives back and leads by example."He is all of those things, and more.A sergeant in the U.S. Army, Noah was three months into his second tour of duty when his Humvee hit a trigger wire, detonating an IED. He lost both limbs and had other serious injuries. Although he wasn't expected to survive, he woke up five days later, early on the morning of Dec. 25, 2005.After an extensive recovery and rehabilitation, Noah returned home to Alabama, but was deeply depressed. Once a "fitness fanatic" and competitive athlete, he gained weight and began smoking and drinking.It took five years, but one night, he took a long, hard look at himself."I really looked in the mirror and quit looking at what I was missing and paid attention to what I still had left," Noah said during Monday's broadcast of DWTS."I realized I had to make a change and it had to happen fast."Today, Noah is not only a model, he's a sought-after motivational speaker, fitness expert and trainer, and has created the No Excuses Charitable Fund, raising money and awareness for Operation Enduring Warrior, as well as the YMCA in his hometown.And yes, he was also 2014's "Ultimate Guy," the first reader in the 26-year history of Men's Health to grace its cover.Learning he had won was pretty emotional, says Noah, who wrote in his blog that soon after it was announced, he received a voice mail from a Marine, who was also a double amputee, and who wanted to congratulate him on his success and how well he represents the military."I knew there were veterans' groups that voted and were excited about my win," Noah wrote, "but it never really hit me that I could be positively affecting a fellow injured veteran." It was an emotional moment, listening to that message."If the picture of me on the cover inspires just one veteran, or any person, who sees their injuries as something that holds them back; if it causes their self-perspective to change and see that what may seem like a setback can absolutely be transformed into a comeback, it will be a very big deal."If disabled veterans and others were inspired by a picture of Noah on the cover of Men's Health, I can only imagine what each of us can learn watching him get out there each week on national television, where he gives a hell of a lot more than 110 percent.I have to agree with DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli, commenting after Noah's latest performance."You want a superhero? There he is."