Saluting the real character of The Young and the Restless' Jermaine Rivers 

On The Young and the Restless, when Damian Kane came to Genoa City, he found out that his estranged mother was ailing. His initial reaction had some questioning whether or not he cared about anyone but himself. But no one could question the actor behind the character: For decades, Jermaine Rivers went above and beyond the call of duty for others.

Jermaine Rivers of The Young and the Restless

Before fans of The Young and the Restless met Jermaine Rivers as Damian Kane, the combat veteran spent 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army. Rivers did combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Rivers served on active duty from March 17, 1993 to May 31, 2013. Of his five deployments, two were combat tours to Baghdad, Iraq, while assigned with the 22nd Signal Brigade, and also Bagram and Khandahar in Afghanistan while under the 16th Sustainment Brigade command.

By the time Rivers was out of the military in 2013, he had met the woman who would become his agent, and he had some experience in commercials and had been in a couple of films (including his first, Killing Winston Jones, alongside Danny Glover and Richard Dreyfuss). He knew building his new acting career was going to be a step-by-step process, saying to Atlanta News First recently, “You’re taking the stairs, not the elevator.”

As for the change from active service to acting, Rivers draws on his experiences for his craft. “During my years of service, I’ve had numerous opportunities to learn, develop, and grow as a person. I use all of those experiences to help define me as an actor because I can play to a litany of circumstances, and I can play it truthfully,” he added, “So, I credit my time, my service in the military with some of the most brightest, smartest, toughest people, for helping me be the actor that I am.”

With May being Military Appreciation Month, Soap Central would like to take this opportunity to thank Jermaine Rivers for his courageous service.

How Paramount+ is honoring the military

May is Military Appreciation Month. As a way to show appreciation, eligible, verified service members are being offered 50% off any Paramount+ plan for the life of the subscription, so you can stream at a discount. Just visit here on your desktop or mobile browser to verify your credentials and get started.

The military discount is valid for verified, new, active, and former armed forces subscribers, and includes: active duty, retirees, reservists, National Guard, veterans, dependents, and spouses.

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If you already have Paramount+ you can still take advantage of the military discount offer. Just cancel your existing subscription, then re-subscribe to Paramount Plus. Once you've been verified, your military discount is valid for the lifetime of your subscription or until you cancel.

You can watch Jermaine Rivers on The Young and the Restless on CBS or stream episodes live or on demand on Paramount Plus.

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