Biographies/People (86)
George, served from 1967-1970, including in Vietnam from 1968-69.
Voces de Santa Fe thanks you for your sacrifice.
Please Register to post and comment.
Voces de Santa Fe honors your memory.
ACTIVITY DURING WWII
SERVED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 12/28/43 TO 12/22/45. SERVED ON USS YMS-431. AWARDED THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 1 STAR, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.
A YMS (YARD MINE SWEEPER) PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE U.S. NAVY'S MORE DURABLE & VERSATILE TYPES. THEY WERE USED DURING WWII FOR INSHORE SWEEPING (FOR MINES) TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT. A FEW LOCATIONS FOR THE USS YMS-431 WERE HAWAII, OKINAWA, HIRO WAN, HIROSHIMA AND KURE HARBOR.Please register to post and comment.
"Vicente proudly served his country in WWII as a United States Army Air Corps staff sergeant and ball turret gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress. He flew in 20 bombing missions before being shot down over Hungary and captured by enemy forces. Vicente was held as Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft IV. During Vicente's last three months as a POW, he and thousands of other American prisoners were forced to leave camp and set out on what would become known as the Black March, a 500 mile journey westward across northern Poland and Germany, as their German captors retreated from the advancing Soviet army. This was a time of extreme hardship and hundreds of men died on this march due to disease, exposure, malnutrition and mistreatment." Son David Martinez
Voces de Santa Fe honors the memory of Vicente Martinez. Rest in peace.
Please register to comment and post.
Thank you from the Voces Community
More...
Hilliard Crown, WWII Air Force Navigator
Contributed by Maria Montez-Skolnik