Marty Martinez

Marty Martinez

2022-10-29

video

Jonathan Bruzon

Marty Martinez

5.4 Marty Martinez Latino Lorain Fall 2022 Oberlin College Library Marty Martinez Jonathan Bruzon 0 https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/media_objects/tb09j569g Avalon https://media.lib.oberlin.edu/ video &lt ; iframe title=&quot ; Marty Martinez&quot ; src=&quot ; //media.lib.oberlin.edu:443/master_files/mk61rg95s/embed&quot ; width=&quot ; 600&quot ; height=&quot ; 337&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction to Interview with Marty Martinez 29 Early Life in Lorain &quot ; So could you first begin by telling me a little a bit about where you were born and where you grew up?&quot ; &quot ; I was born and raised in Ohio and uh, I'm an Italian-Mexican so I lived in the Italian section for the first five years, and then we were some of the first to move to Homewood in South Lorain...&quot ; Marty Martinez was born and raised in Lorain in the mid-1940s, first born in the Italian section of Lorain and then moving to Homewood in South Lorain. He discusses his education path, particularly noting his time at junior high as being very influential for being a tough school. He graduated high school and pursued night classes before enlisting in the military. He also details his family, introducing his Mexican father, Italian mother, and younger sister. He emphasizes that all his decisions were made with family in mind, noting his grandfather on his mother's side as being his biggest role-model, with the Lorain community also helping to raise him as well. Education ; Family ; Role-Model 487 Enlistment and Family Reactions &quot ; So talking about decisions and family, you kinda talked already about how you decided to enlist in the military, so when did you start thinking about military service as something you wanted to do?&quot ; &quot ; I started thinking about it in December of that year cause I was lost. I went to night school for computers. I couldn't afford college ; I didn't have the grades to get the scholarships, but I was just lost from the time I graduated, and I just wanted to get it over with cause I knew I was gonna get drafted.&quot ; After graduating high school, Marty pursued night school as he could not afford college at the time. Claiming to feel lost, he decided to enlist in the military mainly since he knew he was going to be drafted anyways and did not want to delay the inevitable. His main reasoning for joining the Air Force was his constant mentality of &quot ; what can I do to survive,&quot ; joining as he knew the odds of surviving there were greater than that of the Army. He also joined the Air Force knowing that his grandfather once served there. He notes that while his mother was angry with him for enlisting and the rest of his family distraught, they knew that he had to go serve. Enlistment ; Survival ; U.S. Air Force 672 Military Service and Experiences in the U.S. Air Force &quot ; What was your most vivid memory that you can remember either in training or in school?&quot ; &quot ; I went to basic training like everybody, and while I was doing guard duty I bumped into a guy I grew up with. It's a small world. And then after basic training, I was transferred to outside Montgomery, Alabama for medical school cause I was in the medics...&quot ; Marty began his service with basic training and guard duty, then being transferred to Alabama for medical school to serve as a patient care medic. He notes that he was there during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, having to be cautious because of prejudice and racism there. He then transferred to Tennessee for tactical air command, serving in supply transportation. He was then ordered to a station in the Dominican Republic, serving as a night guard assigned to take care of the labor force. He found his time there to be especially difficult due to the hot weather and dark nights, and even mentioned never being told who the &quot ; enemy&quot ; was. He was then transferred back to Tennessee until 1966, when he was ordered to go to France and then England, and mentions his time in Europe as being his most fond memory of his service. He then ends his description of his service by admitting that he did not wish to come back home once his service was over. Dominican Republic ; Europe ; Medics ; Tactical Air Command 1164 Post-Service: Occupations and Struggles &quot ; I was in England and I stayed 6 months in England because I didn't wanna come home. I would've stayed but I survived the war, it's all about survival. I survived in the first place, why would I wanna stay in when this time I'd go for sure. So I ended up coming home and the only reason I came home was cause of my grandfather Ragnoni, I just loved him dearly...&quot ; Marty reflects on his feelings of not wishing to come home after service, noting that the biggest reason he returned was to see his grandfather, who he ended up staying with when he first returned. He emphasizes the feeling of betrayal he experienced upon his return, noting that veterans are often thanked now upon the basis that the military is now volunteer-based, but he was never given any gratitude at the time of his return. He then goes on to discuss his post-service education and occupations, beginning with his studies at Lorain Community College in computer science while working at Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO) in marketing. He then went on to major in business at Baldwin Wallace University while making a living. He recounts the many occupations he's had, including a traveling insurance company, Cleveland Clinic, and multiple banks. He found out very difficult and discouraging to navigate through these, mentioning that despite his hard work he was treated poorly and almost never rewarded with any raises, bonuses, or promotions. He even brings up the psychological troubles he has faced because of these struggles, and he began to question whether his efforts were worth it. Betrayal ; Corporate America ; Higher Education ; Mental Health ; Occupations 2186 Starting a Family: Holding Family as a Core Value &quot ; I met my wife in 1972. I was on a drinking spree, I was at a bar. I met her at Beaver Park, and she was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and we started dating...&quot ; Marty recounts first meeting his spouse at Beaver Park in Lorain, Ohio, and then marrying her in 1973, also mentioning his two sons who were born in 1974 and 1977. One of their challenges with starting a family involved debt, with his spouse receiving an operation without insurance before they were married, and then giving birth to their first son still without insurance. He shares his admiration and respect for his spouse, claiming both that she and his grandfather were the two most important people in his life. He is grateful of his spouse for having helped him through his toughest times during his life after service. He once again emphasizes that his reasoning behind all his decisions is based around family, and what he can best do to protect them. Debt ; Family ; Spouse 2473 Community and Camaraderie &quot ; What we've learned growing up in South Lorain, we learned to understand you right away, cause I had to know when you come at me, are you gonna stick me, beat the heck out of me, or be nice to me? We all had to learn that...&quot ; Reflecting on the values and lessons his upbringing in Lorain taught him, Marty mentions the importance of helping one another in the community and knowing as many people as possible. He also recalls his time spent in the old neighborhood house and new neighborhood house (modern-day El Centro de Servicios Sociales) for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Chicanos clubs, as well as the work that social workers in Lorain provided him with. He also touches upon the sense of camaraderie during his service, mentioning that has units felt like family to him. He recalls times spent with his friends in military service and the difficulties they would help each other through. Despite the unpleasant conditions during his time in the Dominican Republic, he is very thankful for his officers and comrades, and claims to have been treated very well. Community ; Connection ; Friendship 2912 Coping With Prejudice &quot ; What was that sense of coping with prejudice for you like, if you don't mind me asking?&quot ; &quot ; Growing up in Elyria- Lorain I mean, I was protected a lot but I had to watch myself.&quot ; Marty emphasizes the importance of watching where you went in Lorain, recalling the times where he was kicked out of a past partner's house by her father, and another where his group, the Chicanos, were almost kicked out of a bar by patrons. He also notes how important his association with his family name, the Chicanos, and the VFW all helped him by bringing in a factor of intimidation, emphasizing the importance of intimidation and association as survival tactics at that time. Chicanos ; Prejudice ; Survival ; Veterans of Foreign Wars 3117 Messages for Future Generations and Closing Thoughts &quot ; Are there any other messages that you want future generations to hear from you personally?&quot ; &quot ; Yeah and I brought them up off and on: I'm not used to 'it's all about me,' that's not our generation. And what they need to know, and what I'm seeing it as is they don't know who they are. They need to know who they are, where they come from, and they need to understand our history.&quot ; When asked what messages he would leave with future generations, Marty advises them to be selfless and realize the importance of histories, both their own and those of others. He asserts that the issues we face today are a result of people not learning our understanding our past history, pointing out U.S. history in particular as an example of this. He states that doing so will help people be more understanding of one another and the cultures they bring with them. He also advises future generations to listen to his generation's stories, emphasizing the men who were lost in the war as true martyrs. He closes off by emphasizing how thankful he is to have survived, and that he continues to think positive and give back to the community as much as he can. Advice ; Martyr ; Selfless ; Storytelling In copyright. video All rights reserved. 0 https://oberlincollegelibrary.org/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=LL_Martinez_Marty.xml LL_Martinez_Marty.xml

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