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The game he loved was a metaphor for how he lived. A scrumhalf, Paul lived for rugby. His passion, intelligence and toughness set him apart on the pitch as they did in life. Army Rugby provided Paul an identity that he embraced and did him credit.</p>
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<em>Paul Robert Martin </em>came to West Point from Detroit, MI, where he excelled at all water sports, especially swimming and water skiing. He graduated from Thurston High School, where he was involved in student government and athletics. His parents, John and Ija Martin, survived exceptional challenges during World War II and conveyed exceptional character to their son. On the surface, Paul was incredibly average. He was of average height, average weight and average build. When his E-4 companymates first set eyes on ‘Boomer,’ few recognized what a force was contained within that average countenance. Paul knew that he was smarter than most. He knew that he was tougher than almost anybody, and he knew how deeply he cared about so many things. Paul loved having others underestimate him. Paul saw the advantage in hiding the heart of a true competitor. This is not to say that Paul was an unaccomplished cadet. Quite the opposite is true. Paul excelled in the classroom, excelled in athletics and excelled as a human being. If you were Paul’s friend and in need, you never had to ask for help. Paul was our company’s Honor Committee Representative, and he provided sage council worthy of a clergyman.</p>
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Most will forever remember Paul’s zest for life and his energetic, often mischievous, sense of humor. He felt that those who took a situation or themselves too seriously were, well, “off-track.” More to the point, Boomer was a consummate practical joker. He enjoyed eliciting a startled reaction to his pranks throughout his life. Several classmates have spouses who were first introduced to Paul when he called on the phone pretending to be a public official or an employee of the gas company telling them that they must take immediate, and usually ridiculous, action to avert some invented disaster. Many times it worked.</p>
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At West Point, Paul met the love of his life, Debbie Ladina. Debbie proved to be a loyal, devoted and supporting partner until the day Paul died. When Paul and Debbie were married in 1976, they were posted to Fort Carson, CO, Germany and finally Fort Bragg, NC. Paul branch transferred from ADA to Finance Corps in 1977 and earned an MBA from the University of Utah in 1980, the year he left the Army as a captain.</p>
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Paul’s civilian career was an unambiguous success. Settling in Houston, TX, Paul worked for some of the largest oil companies in the world and was rewarded by promotion, money and acclaim, but Paul chose to try the life of an entrepreneur. This was Paul’s finest hour. Paul became a major player in the sports memorabilia industry and earned a reputation as an honest, aggressive and knowledgeable businessman. Once he chose that path, he never looked back. Paul did a lot of hiring in his civilian career and always expressed a preference for hiring fellow Academy graduates.</p>
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Paul’s <em>joie de vivre</em> and ability to live in the moment were perfectly exemplified during his final visit to West Point, September 11-13 1998, when he joined three of his E-4 classmates on a beautiful afternoon for a round of golf on the same course they had all “met” on their way to Camp Buckner so many summers before. Battling cancer, Paul was thin and weak, and had lost all of his famously thick head of hair. He certainly knew that he was near the end of his personal “back nine,” but he still had that old twinkle in his eye, and he didn’t allow a single bad shot, ugly swing or missed putt on the part of his playing partners to go “unrewarded.” On the ninth hole, a significantly uphill par three with a green that is tough to hit and even harder to hold, Paul parred the hole, shaming his double-bogey-shooting buddies. Perhaps knowing that this was the last hole he would ever play, he fist-pumped and “victory-danced” with unrestrained delight. One might have thought he’d won the U.S. Open. He acted like he didn’t have a care in the world. At that moment, we were pretty sure he didn’t—it was beautiful, and it was Paul.</p>
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Paul played many roles at West Point: mentor, confidant, company barber, consultant, teammate, Bricklin driver, athlete, scholar, comedian, advisor, camper and many, many others. Paul was truly great at one of these roles: classmate.</p>
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As intense as Paul’s life was, so was it short. Having waged two separate bouts with cancer, Paul Martin was ultimately taken from us in 1999 at age 46. His final weeks were under the constant loving care of his life partner, Debbie. His passing left a gaping hole in how many of us remember our West Point experience. Paul will always be missed and never forgotten.</p>
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<em>— Classmates</em></p>