Today

Wounded Soldier Inspires Others Through Motivational Speaking & Acting

It’s been awhile since I’ve interviewed one of our American Heroes, but I think our readers will be pleased with the Hero that I recently interviewed. J.R. as many of our readers know is a retired Soldier, who was severely injured in Iraq in April 2003, with severe burns over more than 40 percent of his body. J.R. now is acting in the daytime soap opera All My Children, I the role of Brot Monroe. His character served in the Army in Iraq and was injured in combat. He had fell in love with a fellow Soldier while deployed. Due to the severity of his injuries, he decided to allow her to think he had died. J.R. Martinez. was born in Shreveport, La in 1983, the son of an immigrant from El Salvador. J.R. was the first member of his family to be born in the United States. J.R. has two sisters, one sister, Anabel, who died in El Salvador. J.R. was never ever to meet her.

Not being one to watch much television, especially daytime television, I didn’t really think about interviewing someone from one of the many soap operas. My co-workers are avid fans of the daytime soap All My Children and had been talking about J.R. Martinez and how impressed they were by the fact that he was a Soldier, was wounded in combat and was now acting on the show. One day a few months back, one of my co-workers suggested that I attempt to contact J.R. and ask for an interview. I did, not really expecting to hear back from him. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from J.R. agreeing to an interview. I’m glad I made that effort, as it was a great interview, that I’d like to share with our readers.

In high school J.R. got involved in sports, specifically football and had hopes of becoming a Professional Football Player. Because of not keeping his grades up, J.R. was told by college recruiters that he would be ineligible to play football for 2 years. As you can imagine, that was a huge disappointment to J.R. and so he began searching for something else to do with his life. One day he saw a commercial for the Army and decided that he’d check it out.

J.R. enlisted in the Army in September 2002, attended Basic Training and AIT at Fort Benning, Georgia. Afterwards he was assigned to the 101st as a 11B Infantryman. I asked J.R. about his decision to enlist in the Army, what factors led to him making that decision. J.R. shared that being the first in his family to be born in the United States, he felt like he wanted to give back to the country that provided he and his family with the freedoms and opportunity they’ve had. He also knew that the Army would afford him with college tuition, the ability to travel. First and foremost, by joining the Army, he would play a part in protecting this country’s freedoms. I also asked J.R. if he would have made the Army a career, had he not been injured in Iraq.

“When I first joined and was at basic, I wondered what I had done. What I got myself into. After 2 or 3 weeks, I began to really love it. I went to the 101st and was really thinking about staying in and making the Army a career. When I was recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, a lot of the personnel there thought that I should stay in.”

In 2004 J.R. joined the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes as their national spokesperson. J.R. travels the country as a motivational speaker, sharing his amazing story and showing people first hand the power of positive thought, drive, initiative and determination. He’s also very involved in working with wounded Soldiers, and I’m sure is an amazing inspiration to every one that he comes into contact with.

Knowing that J.R.’s life has made many changes, I asked him if he was considering making acting a career. J.R. shared that he is doing motivational speaking all over the world. He feels that networking is the key in reaching out to others and sharing his story of hope and inspiration, the golden factor to success. He shared that when All My Children announced the story line they were going to put into the show, and announced that they were hoping to find a Soldier or former Soldier to play that role, they sent out a casting call. J.R. shared that he found out about this, when a friend passed an email to him. All My Children had over 600 applicants for the role and J.R. was chosen from those 600. J.R. feels that acting allows him to reach out to the public on an even larger scale, than his motivational speaking work. J.R. shared that he would like to continue acting because of this. Currently he’s unsure if his role on All My Children will continue. He’s under contract until October, but did have a meeting with the show’s producers on the day that I spoke to him.

“It’s a great opportunity to educate Americans about what our Troops go through. The story line is not political in any way, but it shows people that our Troops are serving every day. God gave me a gift that I never knew I had. It’s an opportunity to reach out to all the Troops as well, to tell their stories It allows me to strike while the iron’s hot!”

J.R. shared that his motivational speaking work started quite by accident. He shared that while he was a patient at Brooke Army Medical Center, one of the nurses had asked him to speak with another one of her patients, who was having a difficult time dealing with his injuries. J.R. did so and the impact he made on this fellow Soldier was amazing. Because of the type of injuries that J.R. suffered from, he wasn’t able to have a lot of contact with other people initially, due to the chance of severe infections. J.R. feels that his recovery could have been even quicker, has he been able to see people. After visiting the initial Soldier, J.R. shared that he started visiting other patients, talking to groups at the hospital and eventually that expanded to the media.

J.R. feels that it is very important to give back, to pave a road for people who have been through any kind of tragedy in their lives. He feels that he’s able to show them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and for J.R. charity is a very big thing. He fully believes that what goes around, comes around.

J.R. shared that he feels in many ways that our Troops today are very lucky. They’re coming back home to a completely different type of people, not like our Troops returning from Viet Nam. J.R. shared that he’s amazed at all of the different groups out there, who are doing things for our returning Troops.

I asked J.R. if it was difficult from him to make the transition from Soldier to Actor, as well as how it affected him, having to relive his injury and recovery. J.R. said that it was both difficult and easy. He shared that it was easy for him, due to the motivational speaking that he had been doing. He feels that acting is about truth and reality and bringing out that passion. He shared that it can be a painful experience, however he wanted to audience to really get an understanding of what Soldiers and wounded Soldiers go through. I think that J.R. has been able to accomplish that.

J.R. Martinez is an amazing young man. I am inspired by his courage, conviction, dedication to his fellow Soldiers and his willingness to talk about a part of his life that I’m sure is painful to discuss. I wish him good luck in the future, in what ever he chooses to do in his life. He has shown that with a positive attitude, hard work and dedication that anything can be accomplished. He’s an inspiration to not only his fellow wounded warriors but everyone he comes into contact with.

Photos courteosy of J.R. Martinez

To find out more about J.R. and the work he is doing, please visit his website, Know J.R.

Warriors

Wounded Soldier Inspires Others Through Motivational Speaking & Acting

It’s been awhile since I’ve interviewed one of our American Heroes, but I think our readers will be pleased with the Hero that I recently interviewed. J.R. as many of our readers know is a retired Soldier, who was severely injured in Iraq in April 2003, with severe burns over more than 40 percent of his body. J.R. now is acting in the daytime soap opera All My Children, I the role of Brot Monroe. His character served in the Army in Iraq and was injured in combat. He had fell in love with a fellow Soldier while deployed. Due to the severity of his injuries, he decided to allow her to think he had died. J.R. Martinez. was born in Shreveport, La in 1983, the son of an immigrant from El Salvador. J.R. was the first member of his family to be born in the United States. J.R. has two sisters, one sister, Anabel, who died in El Salvador. J.R. was never ever to meet her.

Not being one to watch much television, especially daytime television, I didn’t really think about interviewing someone from one of the many soap operas. My co-workers are avid fans of the daytime soap All My Children and had been talking about J.R. Martinez and how impressed they were by the fact that he was a Soldier, was wounded in combat and was now acting on the show. One day a few months back, one of my co-workers suggested that I attempt to contact J.R. and ask for an interview. I did, not really expecting to hear back from him. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from J.R. agreeing to an interview. I’m glad I made that effort, as it was a great interview, that I’d like to share with our readers.

In high school J.R. got involved in sports, specifically football and had hopes of becoming a Professional Football Player. Because of not keeping his grades up, J.R. was told by college recruiters that he would be ineligible to play football for 2 years. As you can imagine, that was a huge disappointment to J.R. and so he began searching for something else to do with his life. One day he saw a commercial for the Army and decided that he’d check it out.

J.R. enlisted in the Army in September 2002, attended Basic Training and AIT at Fort Benning, Georgia. Afterwards he was assigned to the 101st as a 11B Infantryman. I asked J.R. about his decision to enlist in the Army, what factors led to him making that decision. J.R. shared that being the first in his family to be born in the United States, he felt like he wanted to give back to the country that provided he and his family with the freedoms and opportunity they’ve had. He also knew that the Army would afford him with college tuition, the ability to travel. First and foremost, by joining the Army, he would play a part in protecting this country’s freedoms. I also asked J.R. if he would have made the Army a career, had he not been injured in Iraq.

“When I first joined and was at basic, I wondered what I had done. What I got myself into. After 2 or 3 weeks, I began to really love it. I went to the 101st and was really thinking about staying in and making the Army a career. When I was recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, a lot of the personnel there thought that I should stay in.”

In 2004 J.R. joined the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes as their national spokesperson. J.R. travels the country as a motivational speaker, sharing his amazing story and showing people first hand the power of positive thought, drive, initiative and determination. He’s also very involved in working with wounded Soldiers, and I’m sure is an amazing inspiration to every one that he comes into contact with.

Knowing that J.R.’s life has made many changes, I asked him if he was considering making acting a career. J.R. shared that he is doing motivational speaking all over the world. He feels that networking is the key in reaching out to others and sharing his story of hope and inspiration, the golden factor to success. He shared that when All My Children announced the story line they were going to put into the show, and announced that they were hoping to find a Soldier or former Soldier to play that role, they sent out a casting call. J.R. shared that he found out about this, when a friend passed an email to him. All My Children had over 600 applicants for the role and J.R. was chosen from those 600. J.R. feels that acting allows him to reach out to the public on an even larger scale, than his motivational speaking work. J.R. shared that he would like to continue acting because of this. Currently he’s unsure if his role on All My Children will continue. He’s under contract until October, but did have a meeting with the show’s producers on the day that I spoke to him.

“It’s a great opportunity to educate Americans about what our Troops go through. The story line is not political in any way, but it shows people that our Troops are serving every day. God gave me a gift that I never knew I had. It’s an opportunity to reach out to all the Troops as well, to tell their stories It allows me to strike while the iron’s hot!”

J.R. shared that his motivational speaking work started quite by accident. He shared that while he was a patient at Brooke Army Medical Center, one of the nurses had asked him to speak with another one of her patients, who was having a difficult time dealing with his injuries. J.R. did so and the impact he made on this fellow Soldier was amazing. Because of the type of injuries that J.R. suffered from, he wasn’t able to have a lot of contact with other people initially, due to the chance of severe infections. J.R. feels that his recovery could have been even quicker, has he been able to see people. After visiting the initial Soldier, J.R. shared that he started visiting other patients, talking to groups at the hospital and eventually that expanded to the media.

J.R. feels that it is very important to give back, to pave a road for people who have been through any kind of tragedy in their lives. He feels that he’s able to show them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and for J.R. charity is a very big thing. He fully believes that what goes around, comes around.

J.R. shared that he feels in many ways that our Troops today are very lucky. They’re coming back home to a completely different type of people, not like our Troops returning from Viet Nam. J.R. shared that he’s amazed at all of the different groups out there, who are doing things for our returning Troops.

I asked J.R. if it was difficult from him to make the transition from Soldier to Actor, as well as how it affected him, having to relive his injury and recovery. J.R. said that it was both difficult and easy. He shared that it was easy for him, due to the motivational speaking that he had been doing. He feels that acting is about truth and reality and bringing out that passion. He shared that it can be a painful experience, however he wanted to audience to really get an understanding of what Soldiers and wounded Soldiers go through. I think that J.R. has been able to accomplish that.

J.R. Martinez is an amazing young man. I am inspired by his courage, conviction, dedication to his fellow Soldiers and his willingness to talk about a part of his life that I’m sure is painful to discuss. I wish him good luck in the future, in what ever he chooses to do in his life. He has shown that with a positive attitude, hard work and dedication that anything can be accomplished. He’s an inspiration to not only his fellow wounded warriors but everyone he comes into contact with.

Photos courteosy of J.R. Martinez

To find out more about J.R. and the work he is doing, please visit his website, Know J.R.

Politics

A Veteran Speaking Out

Lately we’ve all had politics overload this past year, with the Democratic and Republican primaries and now the two candidates having been chosen by their respective parties, to represent them in the Presidential bid. I’ve said all along, that I don’t hold a whole lot of faith in politicians and often feel that our country would be much better off, if “we the people” were more able to be in control of the inner workings of our government. However, I do know, that I will chose to vote for the person who most closely reflects my beliefs. I feel that it’s extremely important that we really listen and research each of the candidates, their past actions and words, before we decide who we’re going to vote for. I also believe, because the war in Iraq is such a crucial issue in this year’s Presidential race, that we also listen to the men and women who are or have fought in Iraq. Listen to their assessment of what has and is occurring there and think about which candidate you feel will do what’s best for our Troops, the Iraqi people and ultimately our Country. For many years, I’ve not voted based on which political party a candidate represents, but instead based on that person, what they promise they will accomplish if they are elected and based on their past history. I’d like to provide our readers with the opportunity to listen to one young veteran, listen to what he has to say about the war in Iraq, his thoughts and beliefs. After watching this video, really think about what he has said. If you have the opportunity, talk to veterans of the war in Iraq and ask them their opinions, before you make your final decision. Be informed, be aware and be an educated voter, one who doesn’t take the candidates words on face value, but instead a voter who is willing to do some digging before you make your decision.

Motivation

Swapping Stories Of War

For service members, the legacy of those who served before them is one that is rich in history, pride, tradition and similarity of experiences. To be able to get the opportunity to sit down and visit with veterans many of whom served in previous conflicts and hear their stories is something to be treasured. They are a wealth of information and a great resource. Members of the 82nd Airborne Division were able to do that, when they visited the Liberty Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Sanford, N.C. on Memorial Day, and spent time with veterans who live there. The administrator of the nursing home, Linda Andrews said the residents were excited about the visit.

“Even though it’s been years since they’ve served, these Soldiers still recognize the importance of their sacrifice,” Andrews said.¹

The visit actually began the Friday before, with a ceremony that included a formal presentation of colors, recognition of the 13 veterans who attended, the playing of patriotic songs and a lunch. The best part of the event, however, was the chance for the young Soldiers to visit with the veterans and hear their stories.

“For the veterans, it’s a way for us to honor them and thank them for their service,” said Capt. Light Shin, an Army chaplain. “For the new guys, it’s a great way to learn from them, from their sacrifices, so that they can become stronger, better equipped Soldiers in their duties.”²

Veteran residents of the nursing home served in several conflicts, among them World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Their vast knowledge and experiences are something that our young Troops can learn a lot from. Major Greg Stephens, whose wife Cassie serves as the director of nursing at Liberty Commons said it’s important for active duty Soldiers to remember the sacrifices of past Soldiers and take the time out of their days to remember and recognize these heroes.

“It’s a sincere honor to be able to salute the veterans in front of me who truly were and still are a part of the ‘Greatest Generation,’” Major Stephens said. “You are the same men and women who came out of the Great Depression, who won great victories and made lasting sacrifices during war and helped build or define the world that we live in today.”³

One of those veterans. Lewis Haywood, only spent 3 years in the military, but learned a lifetime of lessons in those 3 years, such as the similarities of people, regardless of the country they’re from. He joined the Army in the 60s as a teenager, during the time that fear of war with the Soviet Union was prevalant. Haywood was stationed in Germany when the Berlin Wall was first erected.

“I met a lot of nice people and learned how to get along well with people from other countries,” Haywood said. “For the most part, people in other countries are friendly but you’ll always find some unfriendly people anywhere you go.”⁴

Another Veteran who resides at the nursing home, Lillian Lang, was the spouse of an Air Force pilot during World War II. Wanting to contribute herself, Lang enlisted in the Army and served in an intelligence office in California. She shared how much she enjoyed her time in the military.

Another resident, Thomas Womble served as a Staff Sergeant in Korea for 13 months. During his time in service, he was injured when a mortar exploded and blew off one of his toes and caused permanent scarring to the left side of his face. He was discharged due to the injuries he received. Following his discharge from the military, Womble served for 30 years in the US Postal Service.

Each of the veterans who reside at the nursing home, had a story to tell. Stories that in many ways were familiar yet different to the young Soldiers who were there to visit with them. Each of the veterans are living history and are a valuable resource for our Troops.

I’m impressed that the Troops led by Major Stephens were willing to spend the time with these veterans. I would hope that in many other locations across the country, other Soldiers are doing the same thing. These men and women deserve our thanks and our gratitude. What they don’t deserve, like happens so often when a person is placed in a nursing home, is to be ignored or forgotten. They are the history of this country.

1. http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-young-and-old-share-stories-of-war.html [↩]
2. http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-young-and-old-share-stories-of-war.html [↩]
3. http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-young-and-old-share-stories-of-war.html [↩]
4. http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-young-and-old-share-stories-of-war.html [↩]

Rebuilding

The Art of War

I have finally gotten around to enrolling in the hand-to-hand combat class known as Modern Army Combatives or just Combatives.  In the past I have avoided this class like the plague.  The core elements of the class are ground fighting/grappling techniques.  If you have ever watched UFC on TV, the class teaches you the same techniques and skills.  As a boxer it is completely unnaturual for me to find myself wrestling on the ground.

After day one, I can say I have found a new respect for the class.  Today I spent basically 8 hours getting my ass kicked.  I have found myself sitting in front of the computer, completely dehydrated, sore from head to toe; I am drinking glass after glass of water and doping up on Bayer.

The morning started with the 14 of us learning Combatives Drill One.  This included achieving a dominate position over your party/enemy, whether this is to  be on top of your foe or to achieve a position that leaves your counterpart with their back to you.  Next we learned to escape your foes dominate position and place yourself back in a dominate position.  We drilled this over and over,  at a slow speed so everyone could learn each of the steps.  I can tell you, it was incredibly repetitive and became very boring.  But, with everything in the military and in life in gerneral, you must crawl before you walk and you damn well better walk before you run.

After breaking for a brief lunch, we returned.  We continued to learn a few submission moves to include arms bars and chokes.  Once we ran through those for the next we moved on to our run stage.  First we grappled one versus one to achieve the dominate position, next moving to one versus one to achieve submission.  From their we moved on to a drill known as the bull ring.  Here, you fought everyone in the class.  If you found yourself the “bull” every member of the class would grapple with you one after another with no rest in between.  Just as you thought you were done with one person, another would be shooting in to achieve a dominant position and ultimately make you submit.

I must state it was definately a brutal day.  I am excited, but at the same time cringe when I realize that this is only day one and their are four more days of progressivly harder drills.  I will continue to keep you posted on the outcome of the days.  For now I leave you with the history of the Modern Army Combatives Program (MAC-P). Read more »