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Jose Rene Martinez
Keynote Speaker
Jose Rene Martinez (JR Martinez) joined the US Army
shortly after graduating high school.
In March of 2003, J.R. was deployed to Iraq, and on April 5, less than a month into his deployment, he was serving
as a driver of a Humvee in Karbala, when his left front tire hit a land-mine. Three other soldiers with J.R. were ejected from the burning vehicle, but
Martinez was trapped inside. J.R. suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body. After spending 34 months in recovery and undergoing 33 different
surgeries including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery, J.R. decided to use his experience to help others.
He is an American actor, and motivational speaker Starting in 2008, he played the role of
Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. He is the winner of Season 13 of
ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
While J.R.'s experience was certainly life-changing, amazingly he claims this is actually a
change for the better. He has discovered it is what is inside a person that matters most and
devotes himself to showing others the true value in making the most of every situation.
"I wouldn’t change anything…absolutely anything!" J.R. says. "I do believe everything
happens for a reason, and I'm extremely grateful for that day because it led me into this life!"
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