By Jade Stone
Hopefully, you are enjoying the summer and all the things that come with it like twilight walks amongst the fireflies, afternoon swims, barbecues and fresh baked apple pie.
There’s so very much to love about summer that it sometimes distracts us from truly appreciating the reasons we have the ability to enjoy those things. Having grown up in a military family and now being a part of one as an adult whose spouse is deployed, we don’t easily forget.
However, I had a wonderful opportunity to listen to a gentleman speak who is a testament to all that is worth fighting for in this sometimes pessimistic world. This guy has been dealt what some would say is the absolute worst hand and yet he lives to inspire others.
I recently attended the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s annual symposium as I do every year. It is basically a way to maintain cutting-edge knowledge about the field of sports medicine while allowing us to build stronger professional networks. Every year NATA offers a “Keynote Address” sponsored by Johnson & Johnson from a well known motivational speaker.
One year it was the wife of a prominent ABC reporter who had been injured in Iraq covering a story. Last year it was Archi Manning.
But this year belonged to J.R. Martinez. Now, if you aren’t familiar with JR from All my Children, you might remember him from Dancing with the Stars in 2011.
This amazing young man has had a truly unbelievable life and has managed to overcome so much that he is an inspiration to us all.
Just to give you a quick recap: JR was 19 when he joined the United States Army as an infantryman. He was quickly deployed and served with a unit who provided convoy protection. He was a happy go lucky kid who dreamed of coming home to play collegiate football and didn’t have a care in the world. All was going well until one day his luck changed. After just one month into the deployment, he and his crew were escorting another unit to a city in Iraq and were nearing the end of their journey that day when the front left tire of the Humvee he was driving hit an IED (large land mine) that ripped through the vehicle, essentially blowing everyone out of it…all except JR.
As the men in his unit began the head count, most with minor injury, they realized JR was not present but in fact still trapped in the burning vehicle that was carrying extra munitions, fuel, and a number of other flammable items. By the time his Sergeant grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him free, he had been consciously burning for nearly, if not more, than 5 minutes.
He sustained burns to 40% of his body, most of which were third degree. He was immediately flown to Germany where his mother met him to begin the rehabilitation process. As you can imagine, that was the day his life really changed. The dreams of that kid turned into the nightmares of an adult. But there was one thing that set him apart from the rest…his will to live, and his desire to help others succeed.
JR undoubtedly went through a short time of depression, but one day his mother said something to him that suddenly cleared the smoke that hindered his thoughts and he began to see life differently. He realized he still had hope and he still had a chance to make a difference in the lives of others and from that day on he did. He began by providing support to other patients in the hospital in similar situations, and then began working with a nonprofit organization to support injured veterans.
From there he had an opportunity to audition as an actor on All my Children and to his surprise he received the role of combat veteran Brot Martinez. What started out as a 3 month stint turned into 3 years. He has since become a motivational speaker, a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and is truly an inspiration to everyone he meets.
In his speech to us, he tied his story to the influence his high school athletic trainer had on him.
But the take-home message, at least for me anyway, is that sometimes our “plans” do not always work out the way we choose and that while we may not understand it at the time, sometimes there is something better waiting in the wings.
JR’s presentation was incredibly funny and full of life but most of all, you can truly see the excitement and love of life in his eyes that is just bursting to break free. Here is a military veteran who was discharged for his injuries which drastically altered his appearance, something that would have devastated most of us, who continues to do for others.
After listening to him speak for less than 5 minutes, I realized I could no longer see the burns. They had been replaced by the vision of a young man whose eyes contained a fire for life that cannot and will not be quenched by something so inconsequential as bad luck.
I am so thankful for him and soldiers like him who are willing to sacrifice so much for their country and can be such an inspiration to the rest of us in the process.
While the road may be rocky, I do believe God puts the right people in our lives at just the right times to help us move forward. I know this to be true during my husband’s current deployment to Afghanistan and am so thankful for the support that they give me every day.
Have a happy July and don’t forget to say a little prayer for our troops who make our freedom a reality every day!
Jade welcomes your comments here as well as any suggestions you may have for her future posts. You may also e-mail her at akajadestone@yahoo.com. To read previous Military Mama posts, CLICK HERE.
