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Soldiers are frequently called upon to die in defense of their country, but few of them exemplify in their sacrifice the principles on which their lives were founded. Major <em>Edwin W. Martin Jr.</em>, was such a man. He died, as he lived, demonstrating his unshakeable faith in the inherent goodness of Man.</p>
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Woody Martin was killed in Vietnam on 23 June 1967, as a result of gunshot wounds received in hostile ground action. He was the division psychological warfare officer in the pacification program for the 1st Cavalry Division. His mission in the An Lao valley was to induce enemy soldiers to surrender. Woody, with his interpreter, was moving from cave to cave broadcasting surrender appeals when he came upon a small group of enemy soldiers hiding in a natural cave. In an attempt to avoid what he felt would be useless bloodshed. Woody offered the enemy generous terms of surrender. When they failed to respond, he instructed his interpreter to announce that as a gesture of good faith he would enter the cave without his weapon and equipment. He entered the cave and was shot at point-blank range. Woody believed in his mission and had met with considerable success in his numerous face-to-face confrontations with the enemy in which he induced many of them to lay down their arms peaceably. Just prior to his fatal encounter he had volunteered for an extension of his Vietnam tour.</p>
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Woody’s actions since childhood are self expressive, but their echoes, voiced in the written and spoken words of those with whom he came in contact, serve as more concrete evidence of his permanent influence. Typical of these comments is the letter received from the 1st Cavalry Division’s Captain Hultquist shortly after Woody’s death: “His enthusiasm and dedication to duty served to distinguish him as an outstanding leader, held in highest regard by his men. His soldierly bearing and conduct made him uniquely suited for his pioneering work in the new field of civil affairs. I am proud to have served with him.”</p>
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Early in his childhood Woody demonstrated those qualities which were to dominate his life—selflessness and an understanding and love for his fellow men. Woody’s father was employed by the Department of the Interior, assigned to the Indian Service. Once, when Woody was quite young, he went with his father to a small Indian village where he passed the time playing with the Indian children while his father conducted his business. Noticing that one child stood apart from the group, Woody tried to draw the child into play, only to discover that the child was blind. At a later date, when Woody and his father visited that same village again, Woody brought along his prize toy, an engine with a bell on it, to share with the blind Indian child. The little boy was overjoyed, and the two spent a delightful afternoon playing together. When the Martins prepared to leave, the child’s mother reclaimed the toy for Woody. Even at that tender age, Woody could not bear to see disappointment in another human, and even though the engine was his favorite possession, he insisted on leaving it with the blind child.</p>
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Woody graduated from high school in Carson City, Nevada, and less than a month later entered West Point. At the completion of his four years at the Academy he ranked in the upper third of his Class and had the option of selecting any branch of service. He chose the Infantry because, as he said, he wanted the chance to work with men that the Infantry provided. After Ranger and airborne training at Fort Benning, he was stationed with the 11th Airborne Division in Munich, Germany. One of his friends and fellow officers, Major William E. Haas, who worked alongside Woody as a cadet in the Debate Council, taught Sunday School with him, and served with him not only in Germany but in most of his subsequent assignments prior to Vietnam, wrote of Woody after his death: "He was almost too good for the world he lived in. I have seen him ridiculed for his actions which were those of a man who believed in and trusted his fellow men. I have seen the deep hurt he suffered when people failed his trust. Then, at other times, I have seen his sincere delight and satisfaction when people responded positively to the faith and trust he placed in them. Woody not only practiced the Christian virtues, he believed in them wholeheartedly.”</p>
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Woody returned from Germany as General Cooper’s aide and accompanied the General to his next assignment at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. It was there that Woody made what may well have been his most significant contribution to the Service. Since his late teens, Woody had been active as a leader in Scouting, and he volunteered to work with the Scouts at Indiantown Gap. In his Scout troop were three brothers in whom Woody recognized unusual latent ability. He urged them forward in their academic and athletic endeavors and provided guidance and encouragement. Even after he was ordered away from that area, Woody continued his active interest in the boys’ development. On 3 July, at almost the same time that word was received of Woody’s death, the eldest of the three boys, Ray Drummond, entered West Point—a goal he had never dreamed of before meeting Woody, and one he certainly could never have realized without Woody’s influence and help. The cadet’s father wrote: "Woody guided Ray's career and has been a great influence on all three of my boys. I know how delighted he was when Ray first expressed an interest in West Point. I thank God for bringing my boys and Woody together, for Woody’s help has been absolutely priceless. Ray is now in West Point; Frank has been offered scholarships to colleges in North Carolina and Florida; and Jim also plans to attend college.”</p>
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After attending school at Fort Benning, Woody was sent to Korea, where many orphans and underprivileged came to know Woody’s kindness and generosity. After Korea Woody attended the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his master's degree in English, compiling one of the finest records of academic achievement ever recorded by a West Pointer at that institution. Many of the friends he made on the graduate faculty there came to visit him during his subsequent assignment to West Point. Despite his heavy academic load in graduate school, Woody still found time to lead a Scout troop there and to participate actively in church affairs.</p>
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While he was a student at Pennyslvania, Woody shared an apartment with Robert W. Berry, now director, Washington operations, Litton Industries. Mr. Berry says of Woody: “He was a person whose intellect and judgment I admired greatly, and it was to him that I came in recent years with my philosophical problems. In one way he did a service for all of us—he was living proof that in this world it is possible to be all good. I have never known anyone who stood so firmly for all that was good. More than that, all who knew Woody share that same opinion.</p>
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"He was one of the most devout Christians I have ever known. He never wavered in his faith and it seemed to give him a great inner peace that few of us ever enjoy. He never doubted for one moment the meaning of life, nor did he ever question the war in which he was involved. In a letter I received from him in February he wrote: 'We must fight this war. No one who has been here could advise otherwise. We must, as in the Marianne Moore poem, “fight the blind man who thinks he sees.” We must know the cost and be sobered by the responsibilities it imposes.’ “I think that most of us during our lifetime question our roles, contributions, and awards. Woody’s role was significant, his contributions great, and his awards personally satisfying. A wise man once told me that it was not just a requirement of life that we live for something, but that it was also essential that we die for something. I do not believe that Woody would have changed a moment of his life, including the action that resulted in his death. I felt his influence not just on my own life but also on those of his friends and fellow students. As a general rule, we can consider ourselves fortunate if in the space of a lifetime we can influence for the better just one person. Woody’s influence was and is felt by many.”</p>
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After graduate school, Woody was assigned to West Point as an English instructor. He continued his graduate study by working weekends and by attending summer school, and at the time of his death had completed most of the requirements for his Ph.D. While at West Point he was also active in Scouting and in church work, but his greatest concern was for his Plebes, and this concern extended into all facets of their lives.</p>
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Colonel Edwin V. Sutherland, Head of the Department of English, wrote: “Woody was a great friend of mine, a wonderful officer, a fine teacher, and a splendid example of manhood to cadet and officer associates alike. His work with the English Department was truly outstanding, as was his entire professional performance.”</p>
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Lieutenant Colonel Jack L. Capps, Woody’s immediate superior at West Point, said of him: “I feel that his greatest monument will be the inspiration he gave to so many cadets while he was teaching at West Point. I cannot recall an officer so enthusiastically sought after by his students—nor one who rewarded them so fully with the genuine idealism that Woody could convey so well.”</p>
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Throughout his life, Woody gave without thought of self to members of his family and to his friends, and on his last leave he traveled thousands of miles visiting them before his departure for Vietnam. Although his leave time was short, he drove 900 miles out of his way to spend one hour with a ninety-five-year-old lady who was devoted to him. It was a typical Woody Martin gesture.</p>
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His final act in life was equally typical.</p>
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And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.</p>