If you didn’t already know, J.R. Martinez was my frontrunner for the title of Season 13’s DWTS champion. The man could dance. He had charisma. And most of all, he had a backstory that literally made me cry every time he spoke.
After suffering physically-altering wounds as a young solider in Iraq, Martinez championed his depression, took stock of the hand he was dealt and decided he was going to make the most out of the life that he now faced. He became an actor. He became an advocate and representative of wounded soldiers across the nation. And he went on live television and attempted something he’d never done before. And America responded. And for that I am proud.