J.R. Martinez was selected as 2012 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal Tuesday morning in Pasadena. Martinez is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier. Since 2008 he has played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, and is currently a contestant on television’s popular Dancing with the Stars.
Martinez was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on June 14, 1983.
At nine years old, Martinez moved with his mother to Hope, Arkansas. At 17, just before his senior year of high school, he moved to Dalton, Georgia, and played strong safety for the Dalton High School Catamounts. In his senior year, Martinez suffered an injury that derailed his plans to play professional football.
In September 2002, Martinez enlisted in the United States Army and underwent Basic and Advanced Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he acquired skills as an 11-B Infantryman. After reporting to Fort Campbell in January 2003, he was assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
In February 2003, he was deployed to Iraq. Two months later, Martinez was serving as a driver of a Humvee when the left front tire hit a landmine; he suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body. He was evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, for immediate care and transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. He spent 34 months at BAMC and has undergone 33 cosmetic and skin-graft surgeries
Following his recovery, he has traveled around the country speaking about his experiences to corporations, veterans groups, schools, and other organizations
