I returned to Milwaukee on leave and married my betrothed, Lorraine Roese. We lived in Texas where I stayed on as an Aerial Navigation instructor. In 1944 some of us were asked to learn bombing by radar. This was learned in California and it was not long after that I was assigned to a B-29 eleven-man air crew. After training together we joined the 58th Bomb Wing on Tinian Island in the Marianas.

We flew many bombing missions over Japan and our last one ended in the water near Iwo Jima. We usually refueled at Iwo but must have been hit and lost fuel. One engine after the other quit and then, being too low to bail out, we had to crash into the water. We still thank God that all 11 of us survived the ditching. We did not escape injury but the Navy located our rafts within an hour at dusk. We had good care at the makeshift hospital on Iwo and the Pacific war soon ended.

I helped to close down the two large air bases on Tinian, but instead of going home was sent to Clark Field in the Philippines. I was assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing and as a Flying Officer was at times also an Armament Officer and Executive Officer. Finally came home in September 1946 when a service man in uniform on a Milwaukee Street was a rarity. Beside my many campaign medals and unit citations and the air medal, I am very happy that my Purple Heart was not given to me posthumously.

Martin died on November 1, 1996, at 77 years of age. He is buried at Pinelawn Cemetery in Milwaukee, WI. Martin kept excellent records of his service time and I had trouble reading some of the details. In checking further in Martin's file, I found the enclosed write-up he had written many years ago. In it I think you will agree that he was very proud of his service to our country.