JR Martinez

In My Heart with Heather Thomson

JR Martinez was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. When he turned nine, he and his mom moved to Hope, Arkansas. After graduating high school in 2002, JR joined the U.S. Army. In February 2003, JR was deployed to the Middle East. Two months later, he was driving a Humvee when it’s left front tire hit an IED; JR suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to more than 34 percent of his body. He was evacuated to Germany, then transferred to the Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center in San Antonio, Texas. JR spent 34 months at BAMC were he had 34 plastic and skin graft surgeries. In 2008, JR went to an open casting call for the TV show All My Children. What you thought would be a 3-month stint turned into a 3-year full-time career. In 2011, JR joined ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. In 2012 he wrote his first book, Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength and Spirit. (a NYT best seller) In 2018 he married his beautiful wife and best friend, Diana and they had Lauryn Anabelle, and son, Leo. JR has been featured on many shows, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, Ellen, The View, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, CBS Nightly News, CNN, Fox News, HLN, and Univision. He narrated the CNN documentary series In America: Vets Wanted? He has served as a guest host on The View and ultimately hosted his own radio show.

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