<div>
On 11 May 1969, Captain <em>Martin Green Jr.,</em> made the supreme sacrifice, that of his life for his country, outside Camp Ben Het, South Vietnam. Prior to that time Captain Green had sown the seeds for the second most important contribution a human being can make to his fellow man, that of making the world a better place than he had found it.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin Levering Green Jr. was born in Ancon, Panama Canal Zone, on 9 July 1941, the son of Colonel and Mrs. Martin Levering Green Sr., United States Army Retired, United States Military Academy Class of 1937.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Through his formative years Martin attended schools in several states and overseas. He performed as an acolyte in the Episcopal Church and distinguished himself as an Eagle Scout by being inducted into the Order of the Arrow and earning the God and Country Award. During his junior high school years he received the Kiwanis Inspirational Award and while attending Herndon High School, Herndon, Virginia, he became known as a fierce but fair competitor on the football field. It was these years characterized by diversity of interests and achievements and coupled with the influence of his father and maternal grandfather that molded Martin into a man of unshakable principles.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
An accurate description of this man of principles was offered by his classmates and appeared in the 1964 <em>HOWITZER</em>: “From the hallowed halls of Sewanee came a Southern gentleman, a quiet, softspoken individual who remained undaunted by the traditional forces of Cadet life. A man of principles, he remained cool to those influences contrary to his purpose, yet he dedicated himself with tenacious devotion to those things he found to his liking. His strength of principle and individualism insure respect in all those who have been and will be fortunate enough to know him.”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin was a man who knew he was going somewhere and could persuade others to go with him. He was an altruistic leader and it was in an act of altruism that he lost his life on the battlefield in the defense of freedom. The citation accompanying the Silver Star medal awarded posthumously to Martin reads in part: "Captain Green distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 11 May 1969 while serving as the Battalion Commander of a mobile strike force on a search and clear mission deep within hostile territory near the Ben Het Special Forces Camp in the central highlands. As he was leading an element in assaulting a hill held by a large enemy force, he received a call for help from one of his platoon leaders who hail been wounded by machine gun fire and pinned down. Captain Green single-handedly fought his way across the perilous terrain, through the hostile fusillade, to his wounded comrade. With complete disregard for his safety he attempted to move the casualty to a safe position. While performing this endeavor, he was mortally wounded by enemy fire.”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin’s goal in life was to personify the Cadet Prayer which he accepted in theory and in fact. Unfortunately he frequently encountered persons with less genuine motives than his own. Not an ounce of hypocrisy could be found in this man of rare qualities and he was distinctly intolerant of the compromising and pretentious.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
His direct approach with role players, seniors and subordinates alike, often made them twitch with discomfort as a cloud of insecurity seemed to engulf them. Typically, after being exposed these persons would lash out with an act or expression in defense of their perfidious position thereby becoming all the more contemptuous in Martin’s eyes.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
To Martin, doing the job came first, playing the game came second. He was able to sift out the worthwhile elements from tradition and never let the end become subordinate to the means. He was extremely inspirational with men, he paid particular attention to the human element and was one of the few who could properly differentiate between power and authority.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin believed that power was not necessarily synonymous with authority but rather that authority was the right to command and power was the capacity to command. He felt there was much merit in the idea that authority flowed up as well as down in an organization and that authority is, in large part, based upon the willingness of members to accept it.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin did not mind being regarded as an idealist by his more compromising associates. He was convinced that the best could only be achieved through reason and right coupled with perseverance and determination. He hated the social prejudices which plague our society and the illfounded social rigidities so cherished by some but yet so inexplicable in terms of reason and common sense.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
He was a well rounded young man, quite cosmopolitan by normal standards and eager to submerge himself in the culture of the host nation while serving overseas. He was an exemplary ambassador for his country overseas forming many long enduring friendships with Berliners and being awarded a record eighteen bracelets by the Montagnards as a token of the high esteem they held for him during their long and dedicated association.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin had become very deeply interested n the Montagnards—their culture and how worthy they were to be taught how to make their way in a democratic society. He spoke their dialect fluently and his devotion to duty was exhibited when he extended his tour of duty twice because he believed his battalion could succeed where others had failed.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
His battalion did on numerous occasions succeed where others had failed. Under Martin’s inspirational leadership the battalion was molded into a skilled, courageous and tough fighting unit. The profound change in the unit’s combat proficiency was regarded as remarkable by all those in a position to make a comparison.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Martin’s death was a tragic loss to his family, friends and particularly to the United States Army. His approach was always fresh, straightforward and discerning and he possessed the ability and determination to tackle many tasks that had long been in need of attention. These personal qualities were a legacy from his parents to whom he was sincerely devoted.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Fortunately, the impressions Martin made on those who came in contact with him over the years are indelible. His strict adherence to principles and his occasional tendency to tilt at windmills may serve as food for thought for all of us. Martin could and did differentiate between sincerity and pretense, fact and fiction and dreams and reality. He taught his associates that although the truth</div>
<div>
may be painful it must be endured. He professed that nothing should be hidden or whitewashed for the sake of institutional rigidities.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I have never met a more professional soldier or dedicated officer. He loved the service and his country more than himself but he was quick to recognize weak points in the military system and worked tenaciously toward improvement in those areas. A lesser man would have exhibited the more common passive attitude to preclude personal inconvenience.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Surely the rest of us owe him an immeasurable debt in defense of freedom.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<em>—David M. Zeckser, a close friend</em></div>