Leslie "Bud" Keith Martin

Jeremy Anderson2021-06-24T17:06:07-05:00

Name: Leslie "Bud" Keith Martin
Location of Birth: Decatur, Illinois
Date of Birth: May 4, 1925
Date of Death: October 2, 2009
Parents: John C. Martin & Edna (Torrence) Martin
High School and Class: 1943 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
College:
Highest Rank:
Branch: Army
Other Branch:
Date Sworn In:
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Date of Discharge: April 12, 1946
Place of Discharge:
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Military Highlights:
WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
State: Minnesota
Name: Leslie Keith Martin
Race: White
Age: 18
Birth Date: May 4, 1925
Birth Place: Decatur, Illinois, USA
Residence Place: Bovey, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
Registration Date: May 8, 1943
Employer: Student
Weight: 157
Height: 5-11
Complexion: Ruddy
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown
Next of Kin: Edna Martin

Newspaper article: 1944 – "Leslie “Bud” Martin, overseas, tells of meeting Philip Martineau of Grand Rapids, in the Marines, a lad who played on the Grand Rapids baseball team. They met at “chow.” He says they have little chance to read as there is no library and one cannot buy magazines on the base; and that he therefore especially appreciated The Reader’s Digest. In another letter he writes his mother, Mrs. J. C. Martin, of visiting friends “on the other side of the island,” and “eating off real plates with silverware and cups with handles.”

Newspaper article: 1944 – "Writing home to his parents, Leslie “Bud” Martin of Trout Lake Township, on Tinian Island in the South Pacific, tells of living on C and K rations for ten days and that they are not “delicious”; that there are “chickens around”, but by the time they get big enough to eat they won’t be here!” And he also says, “Don’t worry about me starving to death.” Working night shift, 12 hours a shift, leaves little time – or energy – to write letters. Taking a bath in the salt water of the ocean leaves a sticky feeling, and “Bud” says “What wouldn’t I give for a fresh water bath! Talk about dirty clothes, you probably wouldn’t claim me now, Mom, if you could see me. We find it easier to go dirty than to lose sleeping hours washing clothes.” In a later letter he tells of the constant rain and explains their work designations as “fly” shift for daytime and “mosquito shift” for night time, and toward the close of his letter includes this: “Some of the boys were coming up from swimming today when they thought they spotted a Jap, so they came to camp and got a party to go after him. They took a few shots, but I guess he figured that was too slow, so he blew himself up with a hand grenade in the belly. He already smells, and you ought to see the flies! * * * When you get this it will be about the end of the county fair. I hope I shall be back for it next year. Don’t forget to send clippings on how the war is going. We like to know and have had no news since we left the boat.” Then Martin mentions seeing Jack Ellis from Marble and Don Eckland from Coleraine, but that they are on another island; while “Fat” Peterson of Calumet is on Tinian with Martin. Of Peterson, Martin says “I knew him when he was in Mr. Appelget’s Scout troop. He isn’t quite as fat as he was.” This is his second island. There were a lot of fellows he knew on his other island, too. These boys here say they never meet anyone they know, but that must be because they don’t look around!”

Wars Involved:
World War II

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