2008 HEROES RUN HONOREE
J.R. MARTINEZ

Building Homes for Heroes, Inc. is pleased to introduce J.R. Martinez, the 2008 Heroes Run honoree. In April 2003, J.R. was serving as a driver of a Humvee when his left front tire hit a landmine and he suffered severe burns to more than 40% of his body as well as smoke inhalation. He was then evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany for immediate care and then eventually Martinez arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, TX to begin his road to recovery. He spent over two years at BAMC, undergoing 32 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery.

Since 2004, Mr. Martinez has served as an advocate and an inspiration for severely wounded and disabled men and women of the armed forces. Over the past few years, Mr. Martinez’ efforts have included public speaking, media relations, identifying wounded troops in need of assistance while touring military hospitals, recruiting other wounded troops as spokespeople and serving as master of ceremonies for the largest single gathering of wounded troops and their families. J.R. has made hundreds of broadcast appearances, and has been interviewed by hundreds of print and online reporters about his war experiences and his personal road to recovery. J.R. has appeared on major networks ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, and been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Yahoo and hundreds of other outlets. Mr. Martinez will travel from Atlanta, Georgia. to support the 2008 Heroes Run 5K.