PFW Omnibus Speaker Series: J.R. Martinez — Facing Adversity with Optimism and Resilience (Fort Wayne)

Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Omnibus Speaker Series presents J.R. Martinez with the talk “Facing Adversity with Optimism and Resilience.” Martinez is an actor, best-selling author, motivational speaker, advocate and wounded U.S. Army veteran. Born in Louisiana and raised by a single mother from El Salvador, he joined the Army after high school and deployed to Iraq in March 2003 with the 101st Airborne Division. The following month his Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Karbala, trapping him inside the burning vehicle; he survived with smoke inhalation and severe burns to 34 percent of his body. He later became known as an actor on All My Children, won season 13 of Dancing with the Stars and wrote the memoir Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit. The lecture takes place in Auer Performance Hall at the PFW Music Center. Admission is free with a general-admission ticket (limit four per person; a $1.50 convenience fee applies to online orders), with tickets released two weeks before the event.