A couple of months ago, BuddyTV reported that All My Children has launched a nationwide search for an Iraq war veteran who will partake in a newly created romantic storyline into the challenges faced by a soldier after combat.  Now, it seems that the ABC soap has finally found their man.

J.R. Martinez, a real life war hero who won the casting search, will assume the role of Brot Monroe on All My Children in a storyline that begins with a special episode featuring a series of unscripted support group sessions with other veterans of the war.

The 25-year-old solider was severely burned when his Humvee hit a land mine in 2003, and afterspending 34 months in the hospital and undergoing 32 different surgeries, he is now a national spokesperson for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, to promote and support programs helping other wounded service members.

Martinez will make his TV debut on Friday, November 7 as a solider who was assumed to have been killed during active duty in Iraq.  When Army Lt. Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers) pays a visit to Pine Valley to deliver service medals to Dr. Frankie Hubbard (Cornelius Smith Jr.), she finds out Brot, the lover she believes died in combat, is alive and the couple reunites.  Along the way, they reveal their individual back stories.

Unlike most soap opera plots, however, Martinez's storyline will not be in the form of the typical back-from-the-dead plot.  This time, All My Children will take up a different approach in exploring the “life after war” theme and much of the reason for that is the program's newest addition.

"We are honored and delighted to welcome JR Martinez to the cast of All My Children," executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers said in a statement.  "JR represents the best of the human spirit. His commitment to help his fellow service men and women and their families has inspired us all. JR's challenging journey and resilience will bring a uniquely authentic perspective to the role of Brot Monroe."


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Soapcentral, ABC
(Image courtesy of ABC)