Army Vet, Dancing With the Stars Champ J.R. Martinez Tells Story of Hope

Dancing with the Stars winner chronicles his journey in a Martin Luther King Day Jr. event at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

On a day when the nation reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream for America, a standing-room-only audience in Oak Lawn heard from a young man whose dreams were once blown apart by a roadside bomb in Iraq. J.R. Martinez, whose world was turned upside down in 2003 when he was badly burned after his Army Humvee burst into flames, has become a national and even international celebrity of sorts—partly for his suffering and sacrifice, but more for the inspiring, step-by-step recovery he has made—which has included a “Dancing With the Stars” triumph seen by tens of millions of TV viewers.  Connect with Patch: Evergreen Park / Beverly-Mt. Greenwood / Oak Lawn In Chicago as a motivational speaker and to promote his book…

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