How to Turn Pain into Purpose

In April 2003, CPL J.R. Martinez’s Humvee ran over a roadside bomb in Iraq, and he was trapped in the burning vehicle for over five minutes. When he got out, he had burns on 34 percent of his body. Three years in the hospital and thirty-four surgeries later, he was better physically, but his most important accomplishment during that time was finding hope. That allowed him to forge ahead with an incredible life. He became a successful actor, a Dancing with the Stars champion, a best-selling author and a motivational speaker. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with CPL Martinez to discuss how he found purpose during his recovery, go through some highlights of his vast career and discuss his new podcast, "Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage," on which he highlights the stories of Medal of Honor recipients through the years. Guest: J.R. Martinez, U.S. Army Veteran, Actor and Podcast Host, "Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage" Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

You can listen to How to Turn Pain into Purpose online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How to Turn Pain into Purpose is an episode from AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast by Assn. of the United States Army.

This episode is 42:27 long.

This episode was published on Oct 8, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.