1LT THOMAS M. MARTIN
10 OCTOBER 1980 - 14 OCTOBER 2007
October 14th, 2007 forever changed our lives. Words cannot describe the overwhelming pain we as Tom’s family, fiancée, and friends feel from his loss.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Lt. Thomas M. Martin, 27, of Ward, Ark., died Oct 14 in Al Busayifi, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Those of you who have been avid readers throughout the years know that Tom stopped updating his website in the summer of 2006 due to OPSEC concerns. Shortly after that he deployed to Southern Baghdad where he served as the Scout Sniper Platoon Leader for 1/40 CAV, 4/25 (ABN). Tom had been in Iraq for more than a year, participated in over 300 missions, and walked nearly 1000 kilometers when he was killed-in-action.
Although he stopped writing online updates when he deployed, Tom continued to send emails home and intended to post those messages to this site upon his return. In celebration of an incredible life and man, we are trying to fulfill his desire. We invite you to share in Tom’s last year through his email updates, and hope that by doing so he will continue to be remembered and maybe others will be inspired- to try a little harder, to push a little farther, and to live a little better. After all, as Tom would say, “What GOOD does it do to do anything else?”
Tom’s sister Sarah once sent him a survey asking, “If you could go through your life again from the beginning, what would you change?" His response: "I could write a book on this one, but I'll keep it short by saying I'd study more and screw around less, I'd drive safer, and I would say hi to the million or so people that I passed by every day without talking to." - words that all of us are reflecting on as we try to continue Tom’s quiet efforts to improve the world around him. Tom would never admit to being anyone extraordinary but we are amazed at the number of people that have contacted us to say how Tom, most of the time unknowingly, touched their lives. We hope that his email messages will continue to do the same.
To quote Tom’s last online journal entry, dated July 10th, 2006: “Until we meet again, ‘Be well, do good things, and keep in touch.’ -Garrison Keillor”
In memory of 1LT Thomas M. Martin- deeply loved and terribly missed. Son, Brother, Fiancé, and Friend. Soldier, Leader, Ranger. Our hearts are broken and yet we are so very proud.
West Point Memorial/Eulogy Page
Please note that unlike the format of Tom’s typical journals with “Newest Stuff at the Top”, this posting is in chronological order from July 2006 through October 2007. Thank you for your support and love of Tom, and please take care.
July - August - September 2006
July - August - September 2007
ARCHIVES