1LT Thomas Martin

First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin, US Army
10 October 1980 – 14 October 2007

Tom was born in Huron, SD and graduated from high school in Cabot, AK in 1998.  He enlisted in the US Army and trained at Fort Sill, OK.  In 2001 Tom entered the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he started on the Rugby Team and earned his parachutist badge at Fort Benning, GA.  Tom graduated in May 2005 from West Point and trained at Fort Knox, KY as an Armor Officer.  Tom returned to Fort Benning to attend Ranger School, which included training at Dahlonega, GA, and Eglin Air Force Base, FL.  In June, 2006, Tom reported for duty at Fort Richardson, AK.  He was assigned as the Sniper Platoon Leader and deployed with his unit in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October 2006.

In October 2007, 1LT Martin was Killed in Action in Al Busayifi, Iraq, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations.  All of Tom’s Soldiers returned safely from their 15-month deployment.
Tom is survived by his parents, Ed and Candy; his fiancé, Erika, and sisters Sarah, Laura, and Becky.  Tom is interred at the West Point Cemetery at the US Military Academy.  His eternal neighbors include General George A. Custer, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Astronaut Ed White, and several of his West Point classmates who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.  More information about West Point is available at www.usma.edu.

Why this Travel Bug?

When I was a plebe at West Point, I was lucky enough to meet Tom and become his friend.  I was able to watch this man mature into what he became, which was a responsible, caring person, with the world laid out in front of him.  The world is a less bright place without him.  If someone sees this and it inspires them to be like Tom, the world might be a little brighter.
Even if you do not help this TB along its way, please look at the links below, and leave your comments on the TB page, along with any forum below.  If the hitchhiker is in disrepair, contact me and I will send another.
Tom kept a blog of the travails and adventures of life as a West Point Cadet, Ranger School Student, and deployed Platoon Leader responsible for his Soldiers.  It is still active and accessible at www.tommym1080.com.
After Tom’s passing, his family established a scholarship in his name for graduates of Cabot High School in Arkansas.  This grew into the 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Foundation.  Information about the foundation can be found at www.TomMartinFoundation.org.
The West Point Association of Graduates maintains a collection of memorials and eulogies for each of its fallen Soldiers.  Tom’s page is accessible at www.west-point.org/users/usma2005/61822/.  Tom kept a GPS with him during his Iraq patrols, and logged several hundred miles walking around that country.  Geocachingis something that he and his fiancé certainly would have used as an excuse to explore the Great Outdoors.
Goals of this Travel Bug
Please upload photos to the TB page.  As these photos are uploaded, I will credit your name on this page in helping Tom along his journeys

Visit
Huron, SD
Cabot, AR
Fort Sill, OK
Fort Benning, GA
Dahlonega, GA
Eglin AFB, FL
Dahlonega, GA (again!)
Fort Richardson, AK 

Pictures
At Cabot High School 
In the mountains at Dahlonega 
In front of a Moose Crossing sign in Canada, between WA and AK
On the beach near Eglin AFB, FL
At Tom's grave
At a Howitzer artillery piece

Adventures  
Attend a rugby game
Mud riding in a Jeep
Hiking in the woods
See glaciers in AK
Enjoy a Guinness and a cigar