DWTS Cast Revealed -- Who Is J.R. Martinez?
Aug. 30 2011, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
By Breaking Celebrity News Staff
You’re probably familiar with most of the celebrities who will be competing on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars (after all, David Arquette, Ricki Lake, and Nancy Grace are all big names), but there’s one person you might not be as familiar with –All My Children actor J.R. Martinez.
So to save you the trouble of googling him (you know you will), here’s some background on him.
Martinez, 28, is an Iraq war vet who was badly injured after the Humvee he was driving hit a land mine while deployed with the Army in Iraq in 2003.
Although his fellow soldiers were thrown from the vehicle, Martinez was trapped inside, suffering smoke inhalation and severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body, including his face.
He subsequently spent 34 months recovering and has undergone 33 different cosmetic and skin graft surgeries.
In 2009, he spoke to CNN about that fateful day that would change his life forever.
"I was trapped inside the vehicle for about 10 minutes, conscious and can literally see my life slipping away from me. You know, my mother is my best friend and I k