I am a fan of the hit show Dancing with the Stars. This season, one of the contestants is J.R. Martinez. He was born in Shreveport, Lousiana and moved to Arkansas when he was nine. His mother, who previously lived in El Salvador, moved to the United States when she was pregnant with J.R. She left her two daughters in El Salvador and they were raised by Martinez's mother's family.

J.R. Martinez is an Iraq war veteran. In April 2003, when he was 19 years old, he was a Humvee driver for the U.S. Army in Iraq. While he was driving, he hit a landmine with his tire. He suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns. Over 40% of his body was covered in the burns. J.R. was sent to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio where he spent 34 months in recovery. Since his injury, he has had 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. While in recovery, he started speaking to other burn patients within the hospital. They would tell him their stories and he would tell them his story.

Once his story got out to the public, he appeared on 60 Minutes, Oprah, CNN, and more. He can speak English and Spanish, so Martinez has traveled the country since 2004, telling his story and reminding people never to give up. Today he is a motivational speaker. In October 2008, J.R. joined the cast of ABC's All My Children as combat veteran Brot Monroe. He continues to speak to people about what happened in his life and how it has changed him. Also, he shows how he was determined to get better and how he never gave up.