Jamie Jones
February 25, 2009 07:34 pm
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When thrilled fans approach J.R. Martinez for a picture, an autograph or to chat about his role as a wounded veteran on ABC’s “All My Children,” Martinez can’t help but feel a little awkward.
Five months into his acting stint on the popular soap opera, being a celebrity hasn’t sunk in yet. He still considers himself J.R. Martinez, a regular 25-year-old who has accomplished extraordinary goals almost six years after being severely injured by a land mine explosion in Iraq.
“I’m a symbol for hope, a symbol for life after death to some extent,” said Martinez, a 2002 Dalton High School graduate who was recently in town to visit his mother and friends. “People stop me and it’s a great way for them to kind of say, ‘This is real. It’s not a game. It really can happen.’ At the end of the day, those are the ones that are keeping me on the show, keeping me out in the public eye and supporting me. They’re definitely part of this team as well.”
The national — and worldwide — exposure on ABC has given Martinez a much broader platform to further his cause of helping wounded veterans. Now living in New York City, Martinez has been featured prominently in the media. CNN named Martinez one of several “Young People Who Rock” (you can watch an interview on www.cnn.com) while numerous newspapers including the New York Daily News and magazines such as Soap Opera Weekly have featured his story.
Before he hit television screens across the country, Martinez already had plenty of fans. He’s spent time as a motivational speaker. And for the past five years, Martinez has been a spokesman for the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes. The nonprofit group helps severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives.
“The biggest thing I tell them is this is not how it’s going to be for the rest of their life,” Martinez said. “It may seem that way at the moment, but it’s not what’s going to turn out with your life. I’ve been down that road. There are dark days, but look, there are a lot of bright days, a lot of bright things that you can take advantage of. You’ve just got to be positive.”
Martinez enlisted in the Army in September 2002 when he was 19, then deployed to Iraq in February 2003. Two months later, the left front tire of a Humvee he was driving hit a land mine. The explosion caused severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body and disfigured his face. Martinez endured 34 months in and out of hospitals and 32 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery.
It was during those hospital visits that Martinez got an introduction to soap operas. His mother, at his bed side, would watch “telenovelas” (Spanish language soap operas) while Martinez recuperated. Because the surgeries left him immobile, he wasn’t able to leave the room. He passed the time by watching the soap operas.
Since his television role in some ways parallels his life, Martinez finds revisiting those “dark days” difficult from time to time. But he realizes the tough experiences “remind you of how far you’ve come to who you are today.”
“It’s a bittersweet thing,” Martinez said. “For me, it’s more sweet than bitter because I’m reliving something that helped me be what I am today, and I’m reliving something that will help educate millions of people across the country and eventually around the world.”
His character, Brot Monroe, served in the Army and was injured in combat during a deployment to Iraq. While in the Army, he met and fell in love with Lt. Taylor Thompson (actress Beth Ehlers). Monroe let Taylor believe he died because he didn’t want to burden her with his injuries. Months passed. After several surgeries, Monroe returned to find his fiancee grieving her loss, unaware he was still alive. He’s since revealed himself to her and to society, and is trying to re-enter civilian life by working at the local hospital. Martinez said Monroe has good days, but there are days when “he’s mad at the world.”
Martinez isn’t sure how long the part on “All My Children” will last. Producers originally told him it would be a three-month gig. He’s caught the “acting bug right now,” so Martinez is hoping movie roles will come his way. If not, he wants to write a book about his life. His ultimate goal is to host a syndicated talk show.
For the near term, he’s teamed up with Los Angeles-based musician Don Preach on a project. Preach plans to release an album with a song he wrote about Martinez titled “I’m Just a Hero.” A portion of the song’s proceeds will be donated to groups that help veterans.
“I want to be that old man sitting on my front porch rocking myself, looking back and saying, ‘I did it,’ vs. saying, ‘I wish I would have done it,” Martinez said.
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Photos
J.R. Martinez