TV role's all too real to Iraq war vet J.R. Martinez

TV role's all too real to Iraq war vet
New York Daily News - New York,NY,USA
BY STEPHANIE GASKELL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, January 11th 2009, 4:45 AM
Some people say their life is a soap opera. J.R. Martinez can say it - and mean it.

The Iraq war veteran is starring in ABC's "All My Children," playing Brot Monroe, a veteran who was badly injured in Iraq.

It's a story line that Martinez, 25, knows all too well. Just two months after deploying to Iraq with the Army's 101st Airborne Division in 2003, Martinez was driving a Humvee when it hit a land mine. He suffered serious burns over 40% of his body.

After undergoing 32 operations and spending nearly three years in the hospital, Martinez garnered the strength to move on with his life. He became the spokesman for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and traveled the country as a motivational speaker.

Now the Louisiana native spends his days in front of a camera in the role of his life.

"I feel like this is where I need to be," Martinez told the Daily News. "I love a challenge."

He has millions of fans, but Martinez is humble about his newfound fame. And he doesn't want sympathy.