Sophia Hertz
For Marty Martin, a career in the military was never necessarily part of a lifelong plan. What began as a way to find new opportunities and receive help paying for college eventually turned into a career that took him around the world, introduced him to different cultures, and gave him experiences he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
Today, Martin serves as a cook at Elgin-New Leipzig School, where he puts to use a skill he developed over more than four decades in the kitchen. But long before preparing meals for local students, Martin was cooking for soldiers thousands of miles from home.
Martin grew up in Forman, North Dakota, and attended Sargent Central High School. After graduating, he worked at Bobcat for a short time before finding work with the Soil Conservation Service, which eventually transferred him to Carson, North Dakota. It was there that his military journey began.
Martin initially joined the Army National Guard, partly because of the educational benefits available to service members. With a large family tradition of military service, joining the military was also a familiar path.
“My dad was in, my brother was in, my uncles were in,” Martin recalled. “There were tons and tons of family that were in the military.”
In 1989, Martin was activated and sent to Honduras for six months. After returning, he decided to transition into the regular Army, keeping his rank and gaining additional benefits because of his activation.
His next assignment took him to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he was eventually deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Serving in a supply company, Martin and his fellow soldiers were responsible for transporting supplies across the country.
While many service members did not spend an entire year overseas, Martin’s unit remained in Saudi Arabia for a full year.
Although his military occupation was as a cook, his experiences extended far beyond the kitchen. He traveled, participated in military training, and found himself in situations he never could have imagined growing up in North Dakota.
One of his biggest adjustments came when traveling from the winter temperatures of North Dakota to the heat of Honduras.
“Going from Minot, North Dakota, where it was eight below in January, to Honduras at 104 above was probably the biggest physical shock,” Martin said.
His time overseas also exposed him to realities that were difficult to understand until he witnessed them firsthand.
In Honduras, Martin saw extreme poverty and communities where families lived in conditions very different from anything he had experienced growing up.
He remembers watching people gather around the garbage trucks, waiting to collect items that American soldiers had thrown away. Things that might have seemed insignificant to the soldiers could be incredibly valuable to the people living nearby.
Those experiences gave Martin a different perspective on the world and reminded him not to take everyday conveniences for granted.
Following his deployment to Saudi Arabia, Martin returned to Washington before eventually receiving orders to Fort Richardson in Alaska. Rather than relocate to Texas, he chose to leave the regular Army and continue his service with the Alaska Army National Guard.
He spent approximately 20 years in Alaska, where he continued his military career and developed his culinary skills. During that time, he traveled to Korea, participated in various military activities, and became heavily involved in the Army’s culinary arts competitions.
Martin discovered that cooking could offer opportunities well beyond preparing everyday meals. He competed in culinary competitions, earned medals, and eventually represented his installation at higher-level Army competitions in Virginia.
His accomplishments included three Meritorious Service Medals, an honor he considers one of the most meaningful recognitions of his military career.
For Martin, those medals represent more than personal achievement. They reflect the respect and recognition of the leaders who recommended him for the awards.
“They’re the ones writing the paperwork to get you these medals,” Martin explained. “They see something in you.”
One of his proudest culinary accomplishments came when he competed at a national-level culinary competition. He entered a display that incorporated nine different categories of culinary artistry, including elaborate sugar work. After leaving his creation for judging, he returned hours later to discover he had earned a bronze medal.
Although bronze might not sound like the highest achievement, Martin understood the level of competition he was facing.
“For the level that bronze was, that would definitely take the place of all the blues I got and all the gold I got,” he said.
His military training also gave him the opportunity to experience things far outside his cooking responsibilities. He jumped from airplanes, propelled from helicopters, and volunteered for assignments that took him to places he otherwise might never have visited.
After completing his military service around 2010, Martin remained in Alaska for a time, working in catering and later as an airline expediter. Even those civilian jobs brought opportunities to travel and meet new people.
Looking back, he recognizes how much of his life since 1989 can be traced back to joining the military.
“Everything since 1989, basically, somehow is tied to the military,” Martin said.
While Martin is proud of his accomplishments, he is also quick to recognize that every veteran’s experience is different. He never joined with the intention of becoming a hero or changing the world.
Initially, it was a job opportunity that grew into something much bigger.
When asked what he wishes people better understood about veterans, Martin offered a humble perspective. He believes military service means different things to different people and that some veterans have experienced hardships and sacrifices far beyond his own.
He also recognizes the importance of acknowledging veterans who returned home with physical and emotional wounds from their service.
When someone thanks him for his service, Martin politely accepts the gesture, but he is often quick to turn the recognition toward other veterans, including family members who served during Vietnam.
That humility is part of what makes Veterans Day meaningful. The day is not only about recognizing those who served in combat, but also about honoring the countless men and women who served in different capacities, often far from home and away from their families.
For Martin, Veterans Day is a time to reflect on his parents, siblings, uncles, and the generations of family members who also wore the uniform. He remembers how proud his mother was of his service and believes his father, who served during the Korean War, was proud as well.
Today, Martin’s military career may be behind him, but the skills he developed continue to serve him. With approximately 40 years of cooking experience, he now prepares meals for students at Elgin-New Leipzig Public School.
The kitchen may look different from the ones he worked in overseas, but the foundation remains the same: preparation, teamwork, dedication, and taking pride in serving others.
This Veterans Day, Marty Martin’s story is a reminder that military service does not always follow a predictable path. Sometimes it begins with an opportunity, becomes a career, and leads to a lifetime of experiences that shape the person someone becomes.
From serving soldiers overseas to serving students in his own community, Martin has spent much of his life doing what he knows best: taking care of people, one meal at a time.
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