Martin, 27, killed in Iraq, was born and raised near the small Central Valley farming town of Pixley, just off California 99. He graduated from Monache High School in Porterville in 1996 and earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 2004 at St. Mary's College of California in Moraga.

One of Martin's college professors remembered him at a memorial service as a true Renaissance man because of his widely varied interests and accomplishments. He competed in numerous sports, including weightlifting, football and basketball. He majored in human biology, and chose to enter the military in 2005 after graduation.

Martin was buried in Tulare Cemetery next to his sister Bryna, who died of leukemia in 1990.