John Martin (soldier)

Staff Sergeant John Martin (May 12, 1922 - January 26, 2005) was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. Martin was one of the 140 original Toccoa men of Easy Company. He was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Dexter Fletcher

Youth
Martin was born in Columbus, Ohio on May 12, 1922. He was a railroad worker for most of his early life.

Military Service
Martin enlisted in the Army at Columbus, and volunteered for the Paratroopers. Martin was assigned to Easy Company. He married a girl named Pat. William Guarnere, fellow Easy Company soldier and a good friend of Martin, was his best man. Guarnere in his biography 'Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends', describes Martin as 'a loner' 'who didn't get along with others' and 'a goldbrick (but not when it came to combat)'. He was called the Scrounger because 'he could get out of doing anything' and could do anything to get what he wanted.

Martin made his first combat jump into Normandy as part of Operation Overlord. He survived the campaign, but was shaken. The first night back from Normandy, Martin noticed that half of the first platoon was gone. He thought he might never be able to return home. So when he got his leave to Scotland with Guarnere, he got his tattoos.

Martin also fought in Operation Market Garden. While Easy Company was taking a frontal assault in Neunen, Martin spot a German tank hiding in a hedgerow, waiting to shoot the British tanks. Martin ran over to warn the tank driver, but the tank was destroyed eventually. Martin would also fight in the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne. While occupying the town of Hagenau, Roy Cobb, who was drunken was causing trouble, and Martin had to pull his gun in trying to stop him.

Martin continued to serve in the army in occupying Germany and Austria. He was unhappy that he got no promotion, and he decided to let the medics know that a trick cartilage in his knee that incapacitated him for combat. He was discharged early for medical reasons.

Later Life
After the war, Martin attended the Ohio State University and returned to his railroad job upon graduation. He then moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he started his home building business apartments. His business was successful and he became a millionaire. Martin died on January 26, 2005.

Band of Brothers
Martin is portrayed in the Band of Brothers TV miniseries. In the episode of the Last Patrol, Martin was shown leading the patrol over the Moder River. It was not accurate. It was Sergeant Kenneth Mercier who led the patrol. It is unclear if Martin did participate in the patrol.