Photo: NBC
A. Martinez has been known to television viewers for decades. To soap fans, he’s known for his numerous soap roles such as Eduardo Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, Dr. Ramon Montgomery on The Bold and the Beautiful, Ray Montez on One Life to Live, Roy DiLucca on General Hospital and Cruz Castillo on Santa Barbara. But, he’s now dubbed as a hero by a longtime friend and former co-worker, Leigh McCloskey.
Recently, the wildfires in California had left several dead and homeless. Some homes were not totally destroyed. McCloskey took to Facebook to share a detailed post of Martinez’s heroic deed to him and his family. McCloskey wrote the following:
“In honor of A Martinez, who showed up during the fires, rolled up his sleeves and asked,”How can I help?” We are forever grateful to our dear friend and personal hero.
Carla and I want to express our profound gratitude to our dear friend A Martinez and his responding to the call to help us during the many days of endless fire and fire watch. We felt very alone and single-handed for the first day and well into that first night trying to cover so much territory. In the morning a remarkable group of people made sure to get much needed supplies to us, including 35 fire extinguishers that I then placed strategically as the water was off and would stay off for the next number of days. A showed up sometime later as well unexpectedly during this time of endless fires. I had no idea he would be here as we had no communication at that point. To be honest, I don’t know now what day it was. I was elated to see him and to have another fellow soldier. He rolled up his sleeves and asked how could he help. He stayed with us, slept here and kept vigil for those long, long hours of tension and no let down. My respect for his selfless response to danger and duty and the innate beauty of his heart that said, “Olandar is my true home and I must help, and to do so he had parked far away and walked in through police road blocks. I thought,”No greater Love hath he.” At that moment I felt the very land sigh with Love at such noble intention and duty. My love for this brother seemed born ages before this moment and somehow I knew on a mythic level it had to be A at my side during this attack of the fiery dragons. From his arrival, with Carla, and the two neighbors now back, I felt we could be the village protectors and hold the fires down enough to trust and let the firefighters do their jobs and slay the greater dragons that still raged and would return with the winds. A Martinez is not simply a great actor and an even greater friend, he is the most upright man I have known since my father passed. A Martinez is a father, a husband, a community leader and a person of profound moral compass and fortitude. It is an honor to celebrate this man as he is indeed for me and many others the role model of a heroic and yet deeply human man that is upright and responds where needed following the moral dictates of his heart and a greater Love not ever found alone, but only in familial responsibility and shared community. We humbly and eternally thank and bless our beloved friend and guardian angel, A Martinez, and his sacred and remarkable family.
Leigh & Carla & Olandar.“
McCloskey is known for his soap roles such as; Dr. Kurt Costner on The Young and the Restless, Drake Faraday on One Life to Live, Damian Smith/Dr. Michael Baranski on General Hospital and Ethan Asher/Dr. Zach Kelton on Santa Barbara.
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