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J.R. Martinez & Karina win Dancing with the Stars

Congrats go out to J.R. Martinez and Karina , just when we all thought the fix was in after the results showed Rikki Lake came in third " I thought I was gonna die" However , the best finally won. Then after getting ready to write something about his victory I could not find anything on the net or on the news! Had that other (2nd place person had won, I feel the media would be shoving it down our throats for a week. So I write this in honor of J.R. and his military service and for all in our military. And for those of you who are not to familiar with J.R. here is a little bio on him I found on Dancing with the stars website from ABC. His real name is Jose Rene..DOB June 14,1984.What is not included below is that he is not married. Has a girlfriend "Diana Jones" who is an executive assistant for ABCs hit sop opera "All My Children" He was in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky when he was deployed to Iraq in 2003. He is originally from Shreveport, LA via El Salvador where his mothers family is from. I salute you J.R. for giving all of us with a handicapp, the inspiration and motivation to keep pushing forward in life and work. You are an example of making all the hard work and re-hab well worth it..................

ceo and publisher River City Attractions

Eduardo Covarrubias Sandoval

J.R.s bio

J.R. Martinez is an Iraq war veteran, motivational speaker and actor on ABC's All My Children. In April 2003, at 19 years old, he was serving as a Humvee driver for the U.S. Army in Iraq when his left front tire hit a landmine. He suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body.

J.R. was immediately evacuated and sent to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio where he spent 34 months in recovery. Since his injury, he has undergone 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. While in recovery, he started speaking to other burn patients within the hospital, sharing his experiences and listening to theirs. News of his story and efforts to help others quickly spread, first on a local level and then to national circuits, leading to appearances on Oprah, 60 Minutes, CNN and more.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, J.R. has traveled the country since 2004, spreading his message of resilience and optimism. Today he is a sought-after motivational speaker and has shared the stage with many notable individuals. In October 2008, J.R. joined the cast of ABC's Emmy® Award-winning daytime drama All My Children as combat veteran Brot Monroe.

Born in Shreveport, LA, he moved to Hope, AR, where he and his mother lived until he was 17. They moved to Dalton, GA, just prior to his senior year, the place J.R. proudly calls his hometown. J.R. continues to balance his motivational speaking engagements and charity work with his acting. He is also busy working on his memoirs.

bbio and photos: ABC.com

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